Episode 2: Summer School... dun dun dun

This week I started getting the first true test of what being a teacher is truly like- when the kids first traipse through the door and demand the highest level of your patience, knowledge, and, of course, coolness (we are talking middle-schoolers, you know).  I was assigned to teach language arts to 6th graders this week, which really meant kids going into 7th and 8th grade, but performing between a 3rd and 8th grade level in reading.  

I really love these kids already- there is just something incredibly real about their social awkwardness, their raw honestly, and their need for personal affirmation.

Highlight: A half-hour discussion we had with the class this morning about college.  One big thing we are trying to do at summer school is invest the students in their own education, amongst a population that frequently doesn't graduate from high school, much less go on to college.  These 12 and 13-year-olds' penetrating questions about scholarships and loans (or if you can go to college to play on the soccer team even if your grades are bad) makes me excited for these kids.

Lowlight: Calling Roberto's mom (who only speaks Spanish) to report on his repeated misbehavior in class today.  Such a huge amount of potential in this kid if he will allow himself to think so!

Prayer Request: For my collaborative group- as Corps Members we teach the summer school kids in groups of four, and my group has had some trouble getting on the same page for things that need to be consistent for the sake of the kids.  Pray for me to have grace, but know when to speak truth into the situation.

Thanks for the communication from those who have written me!  I hope to hear from others of you soon!