Seeing Change

I know I never blog.  I have no excuse.  I needed to share this today though.  After the passing of my incredible grandfather, I have made it a resolution to write down the things I learn from my students.  That is a lot because I learn from them daily.  I have also made it a resolution to "show up" and be present for people when they need it most.  This is what made Pop such an example and role model to others.  I created the vision of my Chemistry classroom this year after one of my students I had my first year teaching.  Here is a portion of the vision I wrote months ago: “Jahlyn” is the student that is in the forefront of my mind when it comes to developing a rigorous chemistry class. Why?  I know he (just like all students) deserves a teacher who will do everything in their power to prepare him for any future science classes he may face.  The sense of urgency to prepare him for his future does not end with preparing him for the science field.  He needs to be prepared to face any challenges that may come his way.  He needs to be prepared to exhibit behaviors that are going to result in him being successful in college and his future.  With an excellent teacher, there is no doubt that he will achieve great things. He needs to be pushed to reach his ultimate potential.  I am confident that this will have him on a successful life path.  The creation of this document, “Not Just for Jahlyn”, is an attempt of detailing the mindsets, habits, knowledge, and skills that I hope Jahlyn, and not just him but all of my students, leave my class with.
The real-life Jahlyn is one of those students who you don’t forget about.  He is determined, seeks out every opportunity to further his understanding of the world through experience, is an active participate of bringing change to the Hickory Hill community, and misbehaves when he knows he can get away with it.  He possesses a child-like joyful spirit, that when channeled towards accomplishing a meaningful goal, is unstoppable.  In my 8^th grade science class, he was always among the top averages in the grade.  He has potential to be negatively influence by peer pressure, which is why he needs people in his life who are going to settle for nothing less than his best.  Teaching him Chemistry scares me in a good way. I have come to the frightening conclusion that I determine his (and the rest of scholars’) weather.  This weather has major repercussions.

It is amazing how much of my vision has become a reality already.  Not just for him, but for others.  Below is the personal statement he wrote for a summer program for which he was accepted:"Before my mother moved out of the house, everything was what you would call “normal”.  I was a young teenage boy who did everything that normal teenage boys would do. I was incredibly active in and outside of school, and I could possibly answer every question you asked before you would even ask it. In school, I was one with intellectual abilities of Albert Einstein, but the naive attitude of one who didn't care about anything. However, this all changed when my mother decided to move to Fort Worth, Texas my sophomore year of high school. When she first brought up the idea, I paid no attention to it for a few reasons. Mainly, I was too focused on trying to fit in at the prestigious school I attended to see that the most important person in my life would be leaving soon to supposedly make my life better. As she constantly brought up the idea of moving to another state, I consistently brushed it off in hopes of hiding the fear I was feeling inside of losing my mother. Some days I would just go into my room and cry my eyes out for no apparent reason, but as the days for my mother to leave got closer, I finally admitted my fears to her. I cried and told her how I loved her so much and how I would miss her greatly but still support her in whatever decision she made. That night before she left for the bus, she called my sister and me into her room and told us that she loved us. She explained that her leaving us should be motivation to do the best we could in school. She told us how she expected even greater things from us.  Even though she would be in a different state, she still cared deeply for us and wanted us to make her proud.  On that night, I fell asleep thinking about my mother and how I could ease the burden she had on her already by doing the best I could in school and contributing anyway I could at home. From previous school years, people knew me as Jahlyn, the boy who was smart but always getting into trouble; however, when I went back to school after my mother left, I changed my own expectations for myself. I promised myself that I would no longer allow myself to settle for anything but my best, behaviorally and academically. Not only did I make that promise to myself, but I made it to my mother.  I would rise to my true intellectual potential. I promised myself that I would be optimistic as much as possible for my mother. I set character goals for myself to show more initiative for my education and self-control when placed in difficult situations. From that night my mother left for Texas, I found a new life perspective, which was that life may throw bad situations at me, but it is up to me to make a positive outcome from the bad situation I am in. This is why I want to attend Philip Exeter this summer. I know that Exeter will offer me great opportunities to further improve my character as a young man and as a young learner. I am positive that Exeter will allow me to progress to meeting my academic goals as well as my character goals. In the end, I want to attend Exeter this summer because I want to make my mother proud of me while I reach to fulfill my goals that I set for myself on that night that the most encouraging person in my life left to make a better life for me."

I am hoping to make similar promises to myself and to Pop.