What's Your Story?

Image: www.teachforamerica.org

I am about to embark on my two year journey in Phoenix, Arizona teaching elementary education through Teach for America. This is a growing movement (growing bigger every year) which is working towards providing all children with equal education. Through this program, teachers are placed all over the United States in hopes to close the achievement gap. This movement is working with the future generation, and in turn, working to build a better future for us all. To find out more, visit www.teachforamerica.org. I am excited for what's to come, but am also preparing myself for many obstacles and challenges. I know it will not be done without the love and support of those around me. In order to create a movement, my journey must be shared. Feel free to follow alongside as we become one step closer to equal education throughout America. Of course, there is a reason for why I am so passionate about this mission it should be shared so that you understand why I want to make an impact. Every person has a story, and here is mine:

I was seventeen years old when I was introduced to a young, shy girl who changed my life. She was a third grader, but she had experienced more in her life than I had even thought up. I was her mentor and I was the one who was supposed to play a game with her and help finish piles of missing assignments for forty-five minutes a week. Yeah right. The first day I met her, I wanted to run to my coordinator and ask how we could have more time, because that time just wasn’t enough. This was the start of something beautiful.

 I like to describe her life as a movie, something that just doesn’t seem like it could be true. Her everyday life was too much for a young child like her, and I would listen intently to everything she had to say, wondering what I could do to make a change. During my time with her, her parents had witnessed an awful divorce, and she was placed right in the middle, being pulled in both directions. Her father had had an affair, and she knew way too much about it. I will never forget the day she came to me and said “I hate my dad for what he did to my mom.” This broke my heart to see her family being torn apart. Her mother struggled every day and relied on family members to provide her children with transportation. Never once did I hear her mention a home-cooked meal and education was not a priority in her family. She lacked motivation because school was the least of her worries. On top of this, drugs and alcohol were just more words in her dictionary. She would see drugs on the table like I would see a salt and pepper shaker; normal. To top it off, abuse was just another chapter in her book of life.

I couldn’t take it and it didn’t seem fair. I wanted to do anything I could to change her life, I even remember saying I would trade her places to give her what she deserved. If it was only that easy, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat. Instead, I had to find a way to give her the perfect life she deserved for forty-five minutes every week. I had to make her feel special and loved. More importantly, I wanted her to be motivated, believe in herself, and refuse to let her story tear her down. My goal was to make her laugh, a lot! I wanted her time with me to be a time to talk first, and laugh the rest. I wanted to get her mind occupied by introducing her to the beauty of life. I knew that if I could do this, she could experience something other than pain. While my goal was to change her life, she changed mine. She opened my eyes to a different kind of beauty, one that endured pain with a smile. She took her life circumstance and made something of it. She experienced scenarios that any adult would struggle with, but she would still come to school and smile. I admired that about her and she never ceased to impress me.

I still remember our last day together, and how we didn’t want to say goodbye. By this time, I had been with her for two years and we had learned so much about each other. To be honest, I was very scared to leave her because I didn’t know what would happen. Her life was unpredictable and I needed reassurance that she would be okay. Her biggest concern was that she had to find a new mentor that she could talk to about everything and that would also bring her McDonalds. My biggest concern was that she would lose motivation and continue in the never-ending cycle of poverty. Throughout my two years with her, I worried about her a lot. I worried about her going home at night and being hungry or going home to find her dad. But as I drove away from her school on our last day, tears rolling down my face, it was a different kind of fear. I worried that she would give up. She had previously told me she that she wanted to bring me to teacher appreciation night when she graduated high school, and I wanted her to keep that promise. I wanted her to graduate and go to college. She had come so far and I didn’t want her to stop trying. I prayed that she would always believe in herself and be strong enough to overcome whatever life threw her way. Without a doubt, she became my eight-year-old hero and she is the reason I am joining Teach for America. I am doing this for her and every other child who has to overcome obstacles. I want them to believe in themselves and know that they have the opportunity to follow outrageous dreams. By joining this effort, I am taking a stand. We all know that life’s not the same for you or for me, but education should be. No matter where a child comes from, no matter their race or their class, they all have the ability to learn and that ability should be stretched beyond this world.  My eight –year-old hero has taught me to take a situation, make something of it, and follow my dreams. By joining an effort to close the achievement gap, I am doing just that.