I am thankful for numerous people and things, but today I can't help but be thankful for having a job that brings me joy and pain, successes and failures, all of which add up to learning experiences that I will hold with me forever. To have a full time job at the ripe, young age of 23 really means, as I have come to see, that you have yet another influence shaping the way you will live your life forever. I am happy to say that my job helps me to appreciate small steps toward improvement, small amounts of extremely important people, small moments where you see people at their best, and small, seemingly forsaken places.
Yesterday I had the privilege of awarding one of my students with one of our grade's "most improved" awards for the first marking period. The look of excitement on her face radiated throughout the whole cafeteria, and her mother, who was in tears with concern for her daughter's future at conferences, was beaming with joy. This student works so hard, day in and day out, beating the odds that everyone else seemed to think were not in her favor.
After the assembly I went up to another student of mine, who started out the school year doing exactly the opposite of the aforementioned. This student barely worked at all, day in and day out, and would make any and every excuse for not completing work, whether in class or at home. After a tremendous struggle with making up work, she was left with the remnants of a marking period gone terribly wrong.
Day one of marking period two arrived and I had my hopes, but I also had my hesitations. I've seen many "clean slates" get lost in the mess time and time again, and I was worried that, intent aside, my student was just not ready to change.
Yesterday we completed day seven of marking period two. I am happy to report that this student is not missing any work and, according to her mother, has stopped asking for help with her homework because she "gets it." What's more, this student has adopted a slogan that I just happened to mention during a few tests. She seems to have really taken it to heart, and it is making such a difference in her work ethic, which will make such a difference in her life. "I'm not letting the work beat me, Ms. Bonanno," she'll say. "I'm beating the work."
As I approached my prodigal student, I couldn't help but wonder if she had been thinking the same thing during that awards assembly as I had. "You know what I was thinking during that whole assembly?" I said with a smile. "I was thinking that, if you keep up the work you are doing now, your name is going to be called at one of these things."
A small, suppressed grin started to form on my student's face. "You were thinking that, weren't you?!" I yelled. With a slight nod of her head, I knew that I was talking to a brand new person.
I can't seem to get this exchange of words off my mind. Here you have two young ladies from one small, seemingly forsaken place, who have both made small (well, maybe not so small) steps toward improvement. I might complain here and there about my ever so small class, but today I am thankful for my small amount of extremely important people, and the opportunity to witness these small moments where they are at their best.
Happy Thanksgiving.
