As I struggled to get dressed, eat breakfast, pack lunch, and feed the dog….all in the 20 minutes I allowed myself since I chose to sleep in…..I asked myself, “Is the rest of my day going to continue like this?” Teaching 8th grade can often be as much of an emotional roller coaster as actually being in the 8th grade. On a good day, one can feel the most amazing contentment in knowing a difference has been made, and on a bad day, one has experienced the desparity of hell.
As first period began and my students were entering the classroom, I noticed a particular student who always has a hard time getting started and began to feel instant frustration. I wondered how long it would take today for her to catch up to the rest of the class and get herself focused on being in school. She put her stuff down and came back to where I was standing to ask, “Miss Avery, why are you always so angry with me?”
As the day went on, I continued to think of this girl and what she had asked me. As adults, we tend to categorize people and treat them in a manner suitable to the particular category. There are few times when people are granted the opportunity for change in another’s eyes. Maybe this is because we have been hurt or have become jaded by the ways of society, but it doesn’t leave room for much improvement. I decided that there was something important that I could learn from these children that I teach. Young people maintain a remarkable capacity to “forgive and forget”. It seems that most everyday is a new beginning in their eyes and maybe I should strive to approach each day with the same concept. By viewing one another with “fresh eyes” we not only give others the opportunity to grow and improve, but we allow ourselves that same privilege
