Fireflies
MARILYN
Marilyn arrived late to class one day, and then proceeded to ask me if she could meet with the school counselor during my class.
I responded jokingly and sarcastically, "No, you just got here. You are late. Why should I let you miss out on any more of my class?"
"That's okay, Miss," said Marilyn. "I like your class. I don't have to go."
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MARILYN & MARIEL
"Ms. Lukasik, we should set up a Spanish tutoring program."
It brings me so much joy when my students take initiative and they reveal that they want to share their skills and their passions with others.
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One of the best things about giving my students class time to work on projects in class is being able to check in with some of my students to see how they are doing.
BEJESCA
Shortly after class began, Bejesca advised me that she would probably ask me soon if she could leave to take a walk to cool down. (She has a very intense past with one of the other students in class. Years later, the two of them still have not been able to reconcile their differences.) Eventually I let her take the pass. She was gone for twenty minutes, so when she returned I called her up to my desk.
"Bejesca, do you know why I called you up here?" I asked.
"No," she replied.
"You were gone for twenty minutes."
"I know...but I told you that I was going to take a walk to cool down."
"You did not just take a walk though; you took a vacation. Look, I don't know what's going on, but I am really concerned about your academic well-being and your emotional well-being."
"Ms. Lukasik, you always know what's bothering me."
This last line got me: she is aware of my concern. For a moment I thought to myself, "I am doing my job."
Marilyn arrived late to class one day, and then proceeded to ask me if she could meet with the school counselor during my class.
I responded jokingly and sarcastically, "No, you just got here. You are late. Why should I let you miss out on any more of my class?"
"That's okay, Miss," said Marilyn. "I like your class. I don't have to go."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARILYN & MARIEL
"Ms. Lukasik, we should set up a Spanish tutoring program."
It brings me so much joy when my students take initiative and they reveal that they want to share their skills and their passions with others.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the best things about giving my students class time to work on projects in class is being able to check in with some of my students to see how they are doing.
BEJESCA
Shortly after class began, Bejesca advised me that she would probably ask me soon if she could leave to take a walk to cool down. (She has a very intense past with one of the other students in class. Years later, the two of them still have not been able to reconcile their differences.) Eventually I let her take the pass. She was gone for twenty minutes, so when she returned I called her up to my desk.
"Bejesca, do you know why I called you up here?" I asked.
"No," she replied.
"You were gone for twenty minutes."
"I know...but I told you that I was going to take a walk to cool down."
"You did not just take a walk though; you took a vacation. Look, I don't know what's going on, but I am really concerned about your academic well-being and your emotional well-being."
"Ms. Lukasik, you always know what's bothering me."
This last line got me: she is aware of my concern. For a moment I thought to myself, "I am doing my job."