My Courageous Cooperating Teacher

I am feeling really grateful for this experience.  A heady mixture of theory, idealism, and reality, this block experience and the opportunity to observe and talk with a cooperating teacher is, I am realizing, invaluable.  Like Mr. T, “I pity the fool” who opts for alternative certification.

Ms. L takes time to talk to me about the challenges and realities of teaching teenagers in our community who are living in poverty.  These kids are intimately acquainted with the harsh realities of the struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.  Though their families may value education in theory, in reality these adolescents do not have the luxury of college or even finishing high school– they must help their families survive in the immediate future.

 So the question becomes:  How do we make education relevant for these students?  Ms L’s suggestion is to give them hope.  Let them know that the money is there to pursue an education later if not immediately after high school.  Give them the skills today that will help them navigate the world they live in.  Rather than bending the students to my will, interests, or agenda, I want to figure out what makes these kids tick and then get them reading and motivated in spite of it all.  I really believe that this is possible.  I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.