journal 6

From completing my service learning project this semester, I truly discovered that I want to be an elementary education school teacher.  This experience was something I was nervous for because I never been inside an inner-city school. I will never forget the first day I came home and told my mom I had to volunteer in a school in Providence. I was worried about the area around me, the people who lived around the school, and what the school would be like inside. I also feared what the students would think of me and if they would like me. That was until the first day, I walked in and was greeted with nothing but smiles and hugs. It changed me as a person and made me see a different side of life. Growing up I was lucky enough to always have a jacket on when it was cold, had a lunch my mom made me every morning, and always had a pair of socks on me feet to keep me warm. Going into this school and seeing many students only have a sweatshirt to wear when it’s thirty degrees out or wearing sneakers without socks on really changes your perspective on life. This experience has made me become so much more grateful for the life I have lived and has made me want to help these kids in any way I can.  

This experience has opened my horizon in so many ways. If I graduated college last semester and never had the opportunity to work in an inner-city school I probably never would have. If I was offered a job, I would have been too scared to take the job and never would have the chance to make an impact on these students lives. It amazed me how quick I became comfortable in the classroom. Going their only once a week for two hours made me think I never would be able to make relationships with the students because they wouldn’t see me enough, that wasn’t the case. I was able to make relationships with many of the students.  

 This experience has showed me the kind of teacher I want to be. That is someone who can inspire and engage all my students.  Create lessons based on everyone's learning abilities so all students can feel comfortable in whatever lesson is being taught. Most importantly, I will be a teacher who listens, who cares, and loves her students. I will make sure they know it by listening to what my students have to say and allow them to know they have somebody who they can count on to help them whenever they need it. I will allow them to tell me stories about their life and I will be open to them about mine.  Seeing students in the classroom and how they reacted when they saw you cared was truly amazing. Some of these kids just want to feel loved and want to have someone their providing them with attention because at home they don’t receive that. It's important to take into consideration as a teacher what students may be dealing with at home and to not be hard on a student if they are having a bad day or a bad week.