I teach, therefore I better care

I love my job! I am an inner city middle school reading teacher. I know, I know you are probably saying to yourself, "Yikes-what is she thinking." But I love the challenge and I like being a different kind of mentor to these 8th graders. I know most of the kids from doing a before and after school program for a couple of years and I also worked at the summer camp at the school. But what I mean by being a "different" kind of mentor incorporates many things. My students did poorly on their Reading section of the FCAT testing and this is why they are having to take the class. I am not racist but the fact is that most of my students are black. So what I mean by being a different kind of mentor is that I have friendships with most of my students outside the classroom. They all think I am crazy but it is cool for them to have a mentor of different race. This helps tremendously inside the classroom as well. I know I am not the best teacher in the world by any means, I am a terrible speaker and I literally take it day to day, but it does help that I care about their lives. It is hard for me to see other teachers who are worn down from dealing with them. So with all of this said I am trying to be a positive light at Lee Middle. Whether it be giving another teacher a smile in the hallway or practicing patience with my students. I am growing daily and I want make every second count.
Please hold me accountable to this.
My run this evening was a quick 8 miler. I felt great due to the fact that the sun was setting and there was not much humidity. These are the runs that make me happy that I am a runner. Word to your mom.