Camden

I have to be honest.  I don't really know how to put this blog post or what I really want to say. 

All I know is that this week (like certain other times throughout this school year) has been a real reality check when it comes to my awareness of the environment in which I teach.

One of the first things that drew me to Teach For America, and one of its biggest foundational ideals, is the belief that every child, regardless of his or her surrounding circumstances, is capable of learning and deserves to have the type of education that will lead to higher levels of learning.  As if you don't believe this enough to simply apply, TFA does a great job at making sure that you believe in the potential of your efforts.  Sure, some bumps in the road may suggest otherwise, but deep down there are many teachers out there who truly believe that any and every child can succeed.

That being said, I have certainly shaped my educational philosophy around this notion.  This past September I was given a handful of students that needed to get from point A to point B.  Now, depending on who you talk to, those point As and point Bs could be vastly different.  For instance, one side of the spectrum may say that your kids don't necessarily have to get to point B, they just have to make progress toward it.  The other side might say that your kids need to be way beyond point B if they want any chance of succeeding in life.

So here I am stuck on this continuum, if you will, trying to make sense of all of this.  Meanwhile, my day to day routine has me encountering stories that most people only hear on the news.  Stories of tragic things beyond belief that your kids are dealing with directly.  Holding high expectations suddenly becomes as much of a necessity as it does an impossibility.  And yet, even still, so many teachers continue to work countless hours and try every last thing in order to try to help each and every child learn.  After all, nobody joins the teaching field hoping to let the ones that just can't seem to break free of their surroundings fall through the cracks.  

Sometimes I wonder if "I am a teacher" and "I am a teacher in Camden" mean the same thing.  All I know is I'm not going to let any reality of today effect the potential that tomorrow's reality holds.  A lot easier said than done, I know... But everyone (with the exception of Yoda, perhaps) seems to be a fan of trying.