Why I do my job.......

In search of my whys, I thought I would add why I do my job. As I have mentioned before, I'm a teacher. I work in a small, low performing, low socioeconomic, mostly non-English speaking district in a large urban area. To say that my job is challenging is describing a good day. To say that I sometimes feel helpless to make change happen is an understatement. I don't think I've ever felt so loved and so hated all at the same time then when I started my career as a teacher. But this really isn't about me today, because I could go on forever!

This time of the year as a teacher always becomes chaotic. It's inevitable. Nice weather, graduating seniors, kids gone wild. Yesterday, however, was a day worth noting. It was my answer to why I teach. Hell, I'm even tearing up thinking about it now. Yesterday our seniors had to present their graduation projects. Listening to these kids, our future, talk about their dreams and hopes and plans always gives a teacher hope. But our kids take it a step further. Our kids are immigrants, often illegal. They come from families who have very little but the wish for a better life for their kids. And they come from families who don't want them to go to college. They come from families who love them immensely. And they come from families who don't or can't show up to their presentations, their graduation or scholarship award ceremonies. They come from families who don't care if they make it, who don't value their safety or health. And they come from families who are with them every step of the way. It is such a dichotomy. To see these kids make it, despite everything they are up against always makes my year.

Of course, writing this I have a student in mind. Our valedictorian. I doubt that she has a 4.0 for all her years of studying, especially with her rebellious freshman and sophomore years as big failures on the books. But this kid is our valedictorian -- and rightly so. This kid came to the US as young kid, mastered English, took charge of her life and made a difference in her school. Her parents told her that they didn't want her to go to college but she went out and got full ride scholarships to some schools and applied for every scholarship she could to fulfill her goal of becoming a doctor in the Latino community. But, she's illegal. So she had to turn down her acceptance to her dream school because she can't get loans to cover the difference. But has she given up? No. She'll get there because this kid doesn't give up -- despite horrible things that have happened to her in her life, a family who doesn't care if she makes it, and a system that is working against her. This kid will make it because she has her why. And she won't take no for an answer.

So I don't want this to be a political blog. But... I can't seem to help it today, especially after watching students who stood up in all their illegal glory, with college acceptances in hand, scholarships received, and outlined their plans to become a doctor, an architect, a teacher and a Peace Corps volunteer. And all I could think was: wow! These kids are going to make a difference in the world. And we are damn lucky to have them here, in our country, with their energy and drive and desire to make change. All people seem to see from our border dilemma is unwanted baggage. We get so much more than that. We, the United States, get their children, their future. Now let's help them attain their dreams of getting to college so that we have one more Latino doctor and another bilingual teacher working in our communities to make change.

FGS