I just received the news that we have another snow day tomorrow. Nemo has really run it's course in Boston. From little fish to big snow storm to say the least.
At first, I jumped with joy. Literally, jumped. I was talking to one of my mentors/former employers on the phone and she said, "You don't have to work tomorrow, right?" I said I in fact did -but went on the school website, while we were talking and sure enough it said school closure - So I screamed, "No no, I don't have to work tomorrow, how did you know? Oh, I'm so excited."
She went on to explain, because I need your help. "Will you watch Lucas tomorrow? Daycare is closed."
Backup to this morning around 10:00 a.m. I received a text from two of my students inquiring about school's status for tomorrow. I assured them we do have school. "See you tomorrow." The picture below shows my student's reaction.
(notice the sad face)
For some of my students, the reaction they have to a school closure is dramatically different than mine, described above. They LOVE coming to school. They like to be surrounded by teachers who care about them and their friends, whom they can have fun conversations and be kids for a few hours - an escape from reality.
Working in an urban, low-income school district, has given me a new perspective on the importance of school and education. It has made me realize how many children in the United States, take school for granted. It has also made me realize the impact one can have as an educator. As an educator we are not just people who show up everyday to implant knowledge and information into students' minds or help them pass a test. There is an entirely other purpose for us to play in a child's life. As an educator, we have the opportunity to be a stable wall for children to lean on, learn from and open up to when so many times they feel left alone in the world. And, let me tell you, the world is a gigantic place, especially for a fourteen, fifteen or sixteen year old or even nineteen year old.
It first occurred to me on Friday, when I walked into my seventh period class and announced "No School Tomorrow." A handful of students erupted in cheer, a few just sat there, and more than I thought were disappointed in not having school tomorrow. I heard whispers such as, "I don't like being at home." "I like coming to school miss." "I'm sad miss." Not the reactions I was used to. Snow days, when I was in high school, were celebrated, anticipated, and never questioned.
School, for my students, is one of the only constants in their life. If implemented correctly and efficiently, a classroom can be a place for structure - consistency. A place where students can experience routine and have a sense of power. A classroom, is the one place, YOU, as an educator can create a community, where students feel safe, wanted, trusted and heard.
So while for some, school is just a place to go, roll through the motions and use as an entrance into college, for others, it is a home. It is that place where they can try to act out, where they can cry for attention and where they can begin to mold into a leader. It is a place to test their limits, realize their potential, and reach goals that at one time felt unobtainable.
It is a place my students can come and feel at home. I will be back tomorrow, and the next day and the next day, to teach them again, listen to them again, provide structure for them again, lecture them again, give them consequences again, shake my head at them again, smile again, but above everything else, I will be there, for them, again.
hi
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