However, I wanted to share a story with you that my teacher shared with me. She has been my favorite professor at A&M since I had her last Fall for Reading and I just had her for Social Studies. She is an amazing woman and an even better teacher! I love her! Anyways, today she read us the book "My Great Aunt Arizona"- love the book- own it. It truly does talk about how teachers can have a life time effect on children.
After reading the book to us (which by the way she dressed up with petticoats and all- see picture below) she showed us something she had started as a first year teacher and all of us are waiting patiently to do the same thing for our rooms. While student teaching, her mentor teacher gave her a journal and inside that journal she had written her a letter. Following the letter from the teacher, she had attached a school picture (you know how teachers get the little copy of each students) and each child had written her a letter on each page. She took this to her first year teaching and continued doing it every year. She said about a month before school would get out she would put the journal at a center and they would write her a letter on the page with their picture & name on it. It was amazing to look through. She said she brought only her first edition but that she has many. She told us a story to go with this though. She opened the worn book to her first year of teaching (3rd grade) and showed us a picture of "A" (new name). He had only written "We went to the zoo, math, spelling and reading." She told us he was ED 4 (which is the worst case of Emotionally Disturbed), a crack baby, and had an IQ of 62 (right above mental retardation). She said he wore her thin everyday, cursing at her, pulling down his pants, destroying windows, throwing furniture...you name it- he did it. She tried so hard with him and ended up in the counselors office every day after school crying because she didn't understand why she was a first year teacher and had such a horrible kid in her classroom.
So the year ended and she moved back to college station where she got married and began teaching. EIGHT years later she got a phone call from the counselor from that school with "A." She answered and was extremely curious as to what she owed the pleasure of hearing from her was. The counselor asked if she remembered her and my teacher said OF COURSE I was in your office everyday upset about "A." The counselor said good you remember "A", she continued to tell her that she no longer worked for the school district but for the prison system. My teacher was still baffled by why she was receiving this call. The counselor told her she had seen "A" quite a few times in and out of prison, he had been in gang activity but that he was part of an armed robbery and would be going away for good this time...(teacher still wondering why she was being called about this). The counselor continued and told her...when new inmates come in they do certain things with each inmate to try to get to the root of their problems. One of the tests they do is they make the inmates write a list of everyone they KNOW loves them. "A" only wrote one name, my teacher. She almost teared up telling us and I know I teared up listening.
She may have books full of letters from different students but she will always remember the story of "A." To have that kind of influence on a child amazes me. She said, "I didn't keep him out of prison or gangs, but I let him know there was SOMEONE who loved him"- Sometimes that's all the kids need--- (The picture is of her holding Great Aunt Arizona and also her journal of kids letters)
Not only did she make a difference in "A" life but mine also. She is a great women and a such a good teacher. I hope I will be able to make differences in children's life just like she did.
Today was my last day with the girls. For science we played a game about the food chain outside. Here is the three of them after the game. 
After the game we were free to go for the day. I walked around a little and took some picture because today was my last time on campus as a student. : ( Also, tonight is sliver taps so I took some pictures of that also. 
1 comment:
I'm going to miss you!!!
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