I finally feel at home…

Or should I say back at home? LOL

Being back at my alma mater has had a definite impact on my life.  I have adopted about 180 other students as my own children now, becoming a maternal post in many of those who really do not have a mother to turn to.  I am the touching stone between academics and reality for them.  I am their mother AND their teacher.  It is okay, I have always wanted more children!

The only drawback that seems to come back to haunt me is that I was not part of the whole beginning of the year process.  I came into my classroom at the end of first quarter.  I find myself making compromises I know I would not make with my students.  The one thing I know I will compromise and change for next school year is taking late work.  There has to be some kind of consequence to late work.  There has to be a consequence for plagiarism.  The real world gives us consequences.

The one model of grading I know I will NEVER adopt within my own classroom is 50% for not turning in work.  That is like me saying “Hey, Mr. Principal.  I didn’t come in all last week, but I expect to be paid half of my salary for not being here to do my job.  Thank you, and have a nice day!”

Yes, that would not fly with our supervisors.  As a matter of fact, if I were to pull a stunt like that, I would be written up, suspended, and possibly terminated after a hearing in front of the school board for not adhering to my position as a teacher! 

What I find most disturbing is that I have returned to my alma mater to find that the same vicious cycle I have graduated from exists.  Only now it is more defined with the gap of not only between the regular students and those who are enrolled in the AP’/Honors classes, but now we have the two magnet programs that have been thriving within this neighborhood school. 

Our graduation rate has consistently been low, but only among the neighborhood students.  Those in the magnet and AP/Honors programs thrive and move on successfully.  The neighborhood students deal with most the one thing the others do not: survival day to day.  Do not get me wrong, there are some students in survival mode that are in those successful programs, but compared to the rest of the student population not within those successful programs, the numbers are small.

I feel most at home at this school than any other school because I truly get these kids.  It is not like I never got the other students I have had under my wings.  I did.  But these students need me as their teacher, mother, counselor, guide, and everything else they are lacking in their lives.  This is so different from anything I have encountered before.

I feel most at home at my alma mater because I am a product of that neighborhood.  I grew up in survival mode, but learned to incorporate book smarts.  The one thing many of my students lack is the book smarts portion of the brain.  I try to lead them to it, but they back away quickly because they feel that they are “too cool” for all that, and do not want to appear as a “nerd” or “geek” to their friends. 

The question I always pose is the same one that was posed to me at their age: Your friends going to be there for you when you need to pay the rent?  To make your car payment?

Um, no.  Like every other experience a person has, I have learned from my own.  My friends skirted so quick when I asked for financial help.  It is easier to take than to give.  It is even a heck of a lot easier to take from someone who is whole-heartedly a giver most of the time.

Yes, I am a whole-hearted giver to the core.  I never expect anything in return.  However, I believe in karma.  My hope is that if I help people, someone will be willing to help me when I need help.  It is that golden rule we all often neglect to actually live by: do onto others as you wish done onto you.

I have a purpose at this school.  I am there to advocate for those kids!  They feel no one is there for them, I beg to differ.  One person can make a difference, even if it is a hefty job.

The remainder of this school year, I plan to fulfill that position as much as I possibly can for my students.

I am home.