I now get it...
You push. You pull. You complain. You lecture. You butt heads. You write the long forms. You support. You nurture. You love.
I tried so hard to get one of my students to get up and actually speak in front of the class. She did not want to write her daily journals. A few sentences at a time. Mostly, "I don't knows". She was extremely soft-spoken and shy. So polite and quiet hearted. And then she turned in her written monologue and it was absolutely wonderful!!! I was amazed. It was like pulling teeth to get her, as well as her fellow cohort, to be creative and think in vivid details for the daily journals I require. And then she turns in a wonderful story.
Skip Ahead...
I receive a call from a guidance counselor stating that one of my students, who happened to be enrolled in both my Drama and Stagecraft classes needed to drop the Stagecraft class to complete his English requirement in order to graduate. He was so angry and mad and refused to transfer out. He did not want to take English. I pulled him into my office and sat him down and said, "I want you to be in my Drama class. I really want you to be in my Stagecraft class. But most of all, I WANT to see you walk across that stage and take that diploma! I WANT to see you graduate! And I will not get the chance unless you make the right decisions, which means you have to take this English course. You have to! Do not deny me the joy of seeing you walk across that stage!!"
Jump Ahead...
I had a young man who was in and out of my class. Consistently late. In and out of SAC. He and I butted heads pretty hard last fall. But through this monologue unit I have been teaching, I finally saw a glimmer of light in his creative soul. Something he could latch on to. As students got up to perform their monologues, I would ask, "What have you been working on?" and then ask, "Anyone have feedback?" He was the first one usually to speak up. And he was consistently right on track with that feedback. Hearing my words come out of his mouth. Knowing that while he was in group work, he was focused for the first time in our time together in class.
JUMP WAY AHEAD...Graduation day
You push. You pull. You complain. You lecture. You butt heads. You write the long forms. You support. You nurture. You love.
I tried so hard to get one of my students to get up and actually speak in front of the class. She did not want to write her daily journals. A few sentences at a time. Mostly, "I don't knows". She was extremely soft-spoken and shy. So polite and quiet hearted. And then she turned in her written monologue and it was absolutely wonderful!!! I was amazed. It was like pulling teeth to get her, as well as her fellow cohort, to be creative and think in vivid details for the daily journals I require. And then she turns in a wonderful story.
Skip Ahead...
I receive a call from a guidance counselor stating that one of my students, who happened to be enrolled in both my Drama and Stagecraft classes needed to drop the Stagecraft class to complete his English requirement in order to graduate. He was so angry and mad and refused to transfer out. He did not want to take English. I pulled him into my office and sat him down and said, "I want you to be in my Drama class. I really want you to be in my Stagecraft class. But most of all, I WANT to see you walk across that stage and take that diploma! I WANT to see you graduate! And I will not get the chance unless you make the right decisions, which means you have to take this English course. You have to! Do not deny me the joy of seeing you walk across that stage!!"
Jump Ahead...
I had a young man who was in and out of my class. Consistently late. In and out of SAC. He and I butted heads pretty hard last fall. But through this monologue unit I have been teaching, I finally saw a glimmer of light in his creative soul. Something he could latch on to. As students got up to perform their monologues, I would ask, "What have you been working on?" and then ask, "Anyone have feedback?" He was the first one usually to speak up. And he was consistently right on track with that feedback. Hearing my words come out of his mouth. Knowing that while he was in group work, he was focused for the first time in our time together in class.
JUMP WAY AHEAD...Graduation day
As I tried to tell my mom about these stories, I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. For the first time in my life, I get it! For so many years, I had only taught in quick three week sessions. Quick lapses in time. But to see kids day in and day out and fight for them.
North Little Rock's Graduation Ceremony is very special. As faculty, you put your robes on and walk through the graduates in the backstage areas of Verizon Arena. Hugs and smiles. Shaking hands. Lining up. Walking out to "Fanfare for the Common Man". Lining up in two rows and creating an aisle from which all of the graduates walk through to "Pomp and Circumstance" to their seats.
And I got to watch the young man nervously walk across that stage and get that diploma. I saw the smile on the young lady's face as she walked by to go up on stage to shake hands and get that piece of paper she had worked so hard for. And... I sat right across from the young man who had riled me so last fall. As he came back to his seat, I caught his eye.
"Is it in there?" I asked him.
"Yes, Mr. H, it is." he said with an absolute glimmer of excitement in his eyes and a smile on his face.
I gave him a thumbs up and said, " I am so proud of you!"
I sobbed into the phone as I relayed these stories to my mom. I am so blessed to have had these moments with these kids. I just hope that they take what I have given them and never forget that they have the power to be whatever they choose to be, if they put their minds to it. Just breathe and LEAP.
"Is it in there?" I asked him.
"Yes, Mr. H, it is." he said with an absolute glimmer of excitement in his eyes and a smile on his face.
I gave him a thumbs up and said, " I am so proud of you!"
I sobbed into the phone as I relayed these stories to my mom. I am so blessed to have had these moments with these kids. I just hope that they take what I have given them and never forget that they have the power to be whatever they choose to be, if they put their minds to it. Just breathe and LEAP.
2 comments:
You are changing LIVES Brandon - what a gift you are to those kids! Amazing!
Thank you for sharing the stories Brandon. The kids you teach are lucky to have you as a teacher, mentor, and most important, role model! I think it is wonderful!
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