Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." -Henry Adams

I know that this is true because teachers in my life have affected me greatly, even to this day. So, on this very special day that is dedicated to the teachers that love, care for, and teach us more than textbooks ever could... THANK YOU! So, in chronological order:

Thank you to my very first teachers, my parents. You taught me more than I could ever write down or even count. You taught me how to be a good student.
Thank you to my second teachers, my two younger sisters. You both have built my character and taught me how to be a teacher.
Thank you to my favorite fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Stevens. Your wacky ways and love of books has inspired me from my first day in your classroom- I bet you don't even know how much I strive to be like you as I am becoming a teacher on my own!
Thank you to my favorite seventh grade teacher, whose name I forgot but who's actions live on in my memory. Thank you for always expecting the best and never settling for less- It's helped me expect more from myself.
Thank you to my very first above-par college professor, Professor Turner. You were outspoken and clearly a bit insane, but you inspired me to take a stand. To believe in something. To DO something.
Thank you to my favorite professor, Dr. Marchevsky. Your belief that my writing could be better, that my argument could be better, that my structure could be better helped me try harder and write better.
Thank you to my two wonderful credentialing professors. Dr. Persiani, you continually inspire me withwords of encouragement and your willingness to go 1000% for your class, whether it be elementary or university. Dr. Beltran, by leading by example you taught me that everyone can be an exceptional teacher with the right tools and attitude. Thank you for giving me both.

There are tons of teachers in our lives, even students are teachers many times. These are just the ones that I want to thank today for making me who I am.

xxOOxx

Culture Shock

As most of you know, I am currently an employee of a solidly middle-class suburban private Catholic school. The class size in kinder was less than 15. The students are not 100% Caucasian but I don't think there are more than 10 students in the whole school that English is not their first language. It is my first real long-term job and the entire campus has welcomed me with open arms. I am flabbergasted everyday by the amount of knowledge in these young minds. Seriously. Today, I over heard two preschoolers (about 4 years old) discussing a bible story and one little boy pointed to a group of people in the illustration and correctly identified them as Philistines. Really?! Geeze, it's amazing. Most of the kindergartners can read first-grade level books and write simple stories. The assigned math book seemed too easy for them so we practiced mental addition and even some subtraction daily.

As some of you might also know, I recently began tutoring after school for a company that has a government contract with LAUSD in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act. Three days a week, I do one-on-one tutoring with a kindergartner in a low-income district. Her mother speaks very little English and she is in a classroom with more than 25 other 5 year-olds. She is very smart but has a language disadvantage that we're working on adamantly.

It is culture shock in the truest sense of the word as I go from interacting with my classroom to the one student. She cannot read. She can barely write. She cannot express herself in coherent sentences. It is actually mildly frightening. For Dr. Seuss Day I read Yurtle the Turtle to the class and they thought it was the most hilarious book ever. I read the first two pages while tutoring today and she was so lost that I decided that maybe we should get through Green Eggs and Ham first. I enjoy the change of pace that a 1:1 provides and she tries so hard during our sessions, I know she'll learn very fast. Its weird to think that I might be making a bigger difference in this one little girl's life than in all the kinder class combined. Still, the culture shock is extreme.

xxOOxx