Friday, April 6, 2012
"I wanted to tell the teacher that the world looks different from the
second row, that I liked the flowers and the red lamp, and that I wished
she knew I wanted to be a helper even though I didn't raise my hand. I
wished she were a goldfish bowl turned upside down and could see me
reflected in her, the way I wanted to be seen, without my having to tell
her. I wanted to be seen in a way that takes her by surprise, upside
down and backwards from what's before her eyes now," Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell.
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One of the most frustrating things I have seen as an educator is students who are not the "perfect mold" being left behind. And I don't mean left behind as in they were failing and no one helped them. I mean that they were difficult students- whether it be academically or behaviorally- and they were pushed through so that the teacher did not have to deal with them. Sahara Special is a student that fits this not-so-perfect mold. These are the students I cherish. They need my help more than anyone. I can recall one student in particular that no one wanted to educate. They wanted to push him through the grades, and send him to ISS until he went to middle school. This post is for you, and all the future students like you that I will help.
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