Straying From Preconceived Notions

PROMPT #1

I admit I was a little anxious about going to meet my students for the first time. And the surrounding neighborhood didn't exactly help. There were decrepit houses and broken chain link fences on one side of the road, and on the other were liquor stores and tobacco shops. I immediately began to judge the school and the students, before even seeing the building itself, or meeting any of my prospective students. But, my opinion made a drastic change once I turned onto the road leading directly to the school. There were brand-new townhouses, all in neat rows, with clean yards and neat sidewalks lining the sides of the street. I realized how quick I was to judge Old Wheatstone Elementary School, and I felt ashamed. With a fresh new outlook, I pulled up to the school and approached the front door, which had a buzzer to alert the main office to let you in. Although I'd been told beforehand about the buzzer, it was still strange to me. There had never been a buzzer in my elementary school. Come to think of it, there hadn't been a fence either, unless you counted the soccer field so wayward balls wouldn't roll into the street. But Old Wheatstone had a long, surrounding fence that locked at both sides. But I didn't judge this time. I just accepted that there are different dangers in the city than there are in the country where I'm from.

Inside the school, I was pleased to find it amazingly clean, colorful, and cheerful. All the walls were painted in bright, dulcet shades that caught the eye but didn't distract too much. The main office was orderly and the staff was polite, and made me feel at ease. Walking the long, straight hallways to my classroom where I'd meet Ms. Owl was quiet and made me wonder. Had the hallways at my high school been this clean? Had they been this well-lit? Not to my knowledge. It was amazing.

And the classroom I was taken to was just as clean and colorful. Now this I remembered. Seeing all the charts, diagrams, pictures, books, and posters made me realize I was entering a learning zone. These children learned in this classroom, and I was going in to try and and learn too.

Mrs. Kandy, the teacher of the second grade class I would be tutoring in, is a pleasant older black woman, and when I met her, I was a little intimidated. She was confident, experienced, and powerful. She commanded respect, and I could tell in that moment how much she loved being a teacher. As I got to know her more, I realized that even though she is strict and sometimes very tough, she chooses to teach that way because she knows every single one of her students is capable of achieving great things. And she's right. As hard as she pushes her students, they all manage to meet and surpass her standards, and I really respect her and them for their dynamic. She's always smiling and joking, but can be stern and exacting when one of the students would misbehave as children often do.

My first couple days of tutoring were spent observing, and I was grateful for that. Since I'm a secondary education major, I'm not really that good with children. Hence why I was so nervous about tutoring second grade instead of high school. But Mrs. Kandy was there every step of the way, and she helped me work with the students and understand how to help them. On my third visit, I met my group of reading buddies. Six children total, and all designated as “red dot” students. Being a “red dot” meant that they were the lowest in their class with reading levels, and the most in need of help.

Some of my group is rambunctious. And some are quite well-behaved, but they are all intelligent. And they all seem fascinated with me. They touch and play with my necklace and put their legs near mine. It's a little disarming, since again, I'm not used to children. I'd forgotten how little they respected personal space. But it didn't bother me, though I tried to maintain order and keep them all in place. Having watched Mrs. Kandy interact with her class during my previous visits, I knew that hard work and giving your best was what was most valued in this classroom. So, I tried to convey that to my students, and I think I did a good job, even though all the kids wanted sometimes was a hug.