Maybe I am making a difference

There were several times this past year when I felt a bit disheartened that nothing I was teaching was getting through to my dear students! I felt like I was wasting time, or worse than that - I was unable to teach in a way that could get through to my students. There are two incidences that encouraged me to keep going and let me know that I was making a small difference.

Near the end of the school year, I finally realized that I needed to make my students apply what I was teaching to their own lives. So, on a more regular basis, before I began a lesson, I would ask the following questions:

How does this apply to you?
How can you use this in your other classes?
Why am I teaching you this?

I waited for thoughtful responses, and then we would go on. (Teacher note - this is a great idea. I feel like it helps your students take more responsibility in what they learn and possibly even care a little bit more!)

One day in 7th period, I started my lesson with these routine questions. One student, who is particularly studious, but attends my homework-help class to relieve anxiety and stress over class assignments, raised her hand and said she had a story to share. She said something like this:

"One day in Spanish class we were watching a movie. I didn't get the answer to question number one and I started to panic and freak out. Then I remembered what we learned in here: Don't freak out. Read a head. You can ask the teacher/other students to help you get the answer later. So I read a head and everything was fine."

I could have cried from sheer pride and happiness. This girl actually applied something I had taught. It was working!

Then, on the last day of school (and I mean the LAST official day when hardly any students come to school and it's basically a classroom clean up day for teachers), one of my 8th grade students from my 1st period showed up. He is always very polite and asked me if there was anything he could help me with. I told him I had it covered, but thanks for offering. He then said, in the most sincere voice, "Ms. Damron - thank you so much for your help this year. It really did change my life and I would have been a wreck without this class." I kind of shrugged it off and said, "Don't even worry about it - I'm just doing my job."
This student looked me in the eye and said, "No. Really. Thank you so much."

I was really touched by his remarks. I may have mentioned him before, but his parents told our school counselor that ever since he was put in special ed, things have really changed for him and he was a whole different kid after that.

It's experiences like these that remind a teacher just why they chose this profession and why they should keep going.

-Ms. Damron-