Legacy: What is a legacy? It’s planting a garden you’ll never get to see.
Hamilton Musical, Lin Manuel-Miranda
To say that year 1 of teacher was tough is an understatement. I am grateful, though, because it was supposed to be hard, as veterans would say. A season of pressing and crushing to produce the finest wine (probably not a good analogy for someone in an educator sector). A season of planting and working almost 24/7.
However, of all the hardships I have to go through, showing up in my classroom for them was the hardest.
It was not the students in my classroom but the thoughts in my head that I have to win over every single day. How do you show up when you are plagued with questions of whether you are doing enough or not? How do you show up in an empty field even after working tirelessly since day one?
Silly. I forgot the tallest trees take years to grow. Sequioas in California is said to take 500 years to 750 years to fully mature. How could I question the process of my amazing students? Show up— even when that’s the only thing that I could do for them in ten months that they will be with me in my classroom. Show up.
Show up and celebrate the growth that will sping in the process like tiny little sprouts coloring a once barren field. Here’s one of those sprouts I will cherish for the rest of my life:
Year 1 has just ended. Some of my students follow me on my poetry account @miennewrites on Instagram.
I was scrolling thru IG stories when I came across one of my former student’s post. I sent a DM and this was the conversation.
I guess it’s not too early nor too late to see growth from what we have planted just a couple of months ago. My heart is happy to be receiving these words from them.
This student is one of those who grew a lot… and matured a lot in my class. I still remember the day he walked out of my class after he cussed out loud because he doesn’t want to answer the question I asked him.
I still remember the conversation after that incident… my process on whether I‘ll shut this kid down and stop caring about him or continuously teach him and remind him of who he is and what he carries and that he is more than his bad day.
I was mad too at what happened but I’m glad I chose the latter. Few months after that, here we are.
