So maybe I didn't take the easy way out
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias just starred in a new Netflix show called “Mr. Iglesias”. He plays a high school history teacher, and he does everything he can to help his students. One of the things he says as he’s explaining why he puts so much effort into helping his students is “I want to fill the gap between the haves and the have nots” boy did I feel that. As I was watching it, I have no life and binged the season in a few hours, I couldn’t help but think of my high school students.
I try not to compare teaching them with the kids I was teaching here, but it is very difficult. When I was teaching in high school, I was teaching at my Alma Mater and I could relate to these kids. More than actually teach I wanted to show these kids that they had someone in their corner rooting for them. I wanted them to see that we teachers do care about them and want them to succeed. I was talking to an amazing teacher I know one day about how most first years teachers cry at one point or another, but many times we don’t cry because we feel helpless, we cry because we see our kids’ greatness and they don’t see it and don’t do anything to reach it.
I only had the privilege of teaching high school one year, and I didn’t even teach the subject I wanted, but it was my best year. As a first-year teacher I had 8 seniors ask me to be their advisor, and even once I was gone, I had students, who were juniors when I was there and recently graduated this month, email me their essays and ask me for letters of recommendation. To me that tells me I was the teacher I wanted to be because I had students who weren’t even in my class coming to me for help. The happiest of times for me were in the mornings when I had students just chilling in my classroom wanting to talk. I had them coming to me during lunch because they felt more comfortable in my classroom than in the cafeteria.
They felt comfortable telling me their problems, and felt no shame in asking me for help. To me that was the most important thing about being a teacher. Being there for my students when they needed me even if it wasn’t about my class. I always wanted them to know I had their backs and they could be themselves around me, and I guess that’s why I don’t feel like teaching now.
The school I was teaching at was a private school. I can’t relate to those kids no matter how much I wanted too. They don’t need me in their corner because they have their parents and family there already. I couldn’t be there for them the same way I was there for my other kiddos.
I guess I didn’t take the easy way out, I just need to find a way to find that passion to help my kiddos like before.
I try not to compare teaching them with the kids I was teaching here, but it is very difficult. When I was teaching in high school, I was teaching at my Alma Mater and I could relate to these kids. More than actually teach I wanted to show these kids that they had someone in their corner rooting for them. I wanted them to see that we teachers do care about them and want them to succeed. I was talking to an amazing teacher I know one day about how most first years teachers cry at one point or another, but many times we don’t cry because we feel helpless, we cry because we see our kids’ greatness and they don’t see it and don’t do anything to reach it.
I only had the privilege of teaching high school one year, and I didn’t even teach the subject I wanted, but it was my best year. As a first-year teacher I had 8 seniors ask me to be their advisor, and even once I was gone, I had students, who were juniors when I was there and recently graduated this month, email me their essays and ask me for letters of recommendation. To me that tells me I was the teacher I wanted to be because I had students who weren’t even in my class coming to me for help. The happiest of times for me were in the mornings when I had students just chilling in my classroom wanting to talk. I had them coming to me during lunch because they felt more comfortable in my classroom than in the cafeteria.
They felt comfortable telling me their problems, and felt no shame in asking me for help. To me that was the most important thing about being a teacher. Being there for my students when they needed me even if it wasn’t about my class. I always wanted them to know I had their backs and they could be themselves around me, and I guess that’s why I don’t feel like teaching now.
The school I was teaching at was a private school. I can’t relate to those kids no matter how much I wanted too. They don’t need me in their corner because they have their parents and family there already. I couldn’t be there for them the same way I was there for my other kiddos.
I guess I didn’t take the easy way out, I just need to find a way to find that passion to help my kiddos like before.
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