Why I do and love what I do!

"Why do you like working down-town? You have a rough crowd...Aren't you scared?!...; Why don't you teach closer to home? The district is much better..."

These are the questions I am faced with a lot. Most people stereotype where I work as a place where only hoodlums, gang bangers, and druggies occasionally show up to school. It really outrageous me that people think this way. Yes, I work at an inner-city school where we deal with kids who are in gangs, and kids who do drugs; but lets face it...you see that stuff in lots of schools. The only difference  is that where that stuff is taking place it is up scale neighborhoods, kids who have all their hearts little desires... I'm going to stop there; but we all know that inner-city schools get the worse rap.

I work at a beautiful well kept school. My school does not have graffiti on it or trash littered on the ground. The students who attend my school are just like any other kid attending school; they are sweet, kind, respectful, and they need to know that you honestly care about them. My kids may put up a tough front but over the years working here I have learned that most of the time it is because that is their defense mechanism to survive when they leave school and go home. 

I have had students tell me they didn't know why they were in school...their parents never finished school and all they knew were drugs. Most of my students put up the "I hate school" attitude because all they have ever heard is they aren't smart enough...look where they come from; how could one of them possibly ever make anything out of their life. 

Every year I make it my mission to reach out to my students and let them know that I honestly care. It may take awhile to break through with some of them because in their eyes "I'm just a rich white girl." I always get a kick out of that. Yes, I am white but last time I checked...I'm a teacher so I'm NOT RICH! I'm real with my students and I let them know that they are doing a great job and I believe that because they know how much I genuinely care about them they work hard for me. 

Last year our principle asked us to write about what student success looked like in our classroom. I immediately thought of one student in particular and I am going to share that story now: **My student's name has been blocked out for obvious reasons.**

There is such great satisfaction when you can see the roughest kid who has NEVER passed a state assessment or even been the kid that you thought could amount to anything and you see them come so far.

and kids who put up a tough front because at the end of the day when they go home...they have to be tough to survive. It's stories like this one that make me love what I do.

Take the time to get to know your students...you may be the only one they can truly depend on.

Until next time,
The Math Diva :)