When I was in 5th grade I remember my family
going through a lot of family trouble.
My older brother was going through many struggles with the law and being
sent to jail and other juvenile correctional centers. I looked up to my brother
and was taking these situations very hard, especially because my mom, a single
parent, was struggling to keep up with the everyday things like work and caring
for my sister and me as well as handling all of the situations with my brother.
Given the emotional challenges going on, my mom wanted to
communicate with my teacher about what was going on in the family so that she
was aware of my absences from school as well as my withdrawn emotions. I will
never forget when my teacher, Mrs. Kubisa, asked for her assistant to take over
in the class and asked me to come to another room with her. She sat and talked
to me for more than an hour about my thoughts and feelings on my family
situation. She reassured me that she
understood how difficult it must be going through everything and that she truly
cared for me as an individual.
Even though this moment was not anything that went into
great detail or actions by any adults, it was one that will forever stay with
me because I knew that I was not alone. As a young child, I did not understand
everything that was going on and was very torn between my emotions. Having both
my mom and my teacher take the time to communicate to each other and to ensure
that I knew I had people that cared for me was a great way to advocate for my
well-being. Thinking about this way of advocating for one child and family by
one teacher greatly impacts my desire to work with children and their families
every day. It only takes one person to advocate for one child or family to make
an impact forever. This is something that I remind myself of each day that I am
questioning my work. I have to continue to remind myself that it is often the
small acts I do or things I say that may stick with a family.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteI have always said as educators we have a meaningful job and can make a difference. I also remind myself that if I make a difference in the lives of one child or family my job will be worthwhile. I think it is teachers like the one you had 5th grade that take the time to get to know and understand each child and his or her family situations that have a lasting impact on lives. I hope that one day someone will mention my name as a person who made a difference.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad the teacher took the time to talk to you just see how you were doing through all of the changes that were going on in your life. It's truly great to know that your life was impacted in a positive manner by this teacher taking the time to talk to you. I always say sometimes you just have to seat and talk to people just to show that you care. That little conversation can make a world of a difference in someone's life.
Your story was very inspirational to me. Some people do not realize how important the little things are. Your teacher was very important to you at that point in your life and helped to shape you into the person you are today. It is people like that who make me want to work even harder to become the best advocator I can be. Thank you for sharing your story.
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