Making a Difference

Where do I see myself making a difference? I ask myself this question on a regular basis. Some days the answer is more clear and obvious than on other day. Some days I feel confident that I am making a difference when I receive compliments from parents or staff on the progress or change they are witnessing in their kids. Unfortunately, for a teacher, those days can feel few and far in between.

Teaching is often noted to be a thankless profession. The toughest days are the ones where you do not outwardly see the difference you are making, but keep working with your students. On those days I ask where I see myself making a difference as an evaluation of my work and as a meditation on the fruits of teaching.

I applied to ACE so that I could make a difference that might not immediately be visible. I remind myself that I want to offer students the help they need in the long run. In some cases the help is more explicit. I see myself making a significant difference when I spend time after school tutoring students to help get them caught up to grade level in math and science to set them up for success in high school and beyond. Although I may be tired after a busy day, seeing gains in those students (big or small) leaves a satisfaction that needs no recognition.

In other cases I see myself making a difference in more subtle ways. This may mean taking fifteen minutes from class one day to entertain questions about college and offer some motivational speeches. In other cases, I see myself making a difference when a student feels rejected from other aspects of his or her life but feels welcome and nurtured in my classroom because I remind the student that I am happy he or she is in my class, and that I will not give up on building his or her progress.

Middle school students are highly sensitive to their environment. Tough financial and family situations can scar young teens and preteens in ways I previously had not contemplated. As tempting as it is to desire it, I will never be able to control the external environment my students face away from school. However, if I can provide them with a safe space and a culture built around success and determination I will have made, in my opinion, the biggest difference achievable.