My Story

Today started the first day of our four-day Orientation (also known as the First Eight Weeks Kick Off) where we are reflecting on the things we learned during our Institute experience and preparing for August and the first weeks of school.  The majority of our session today was about our story.  We talked about the character in our story (me), an inciting incident that motivates or moves us, the brutal facts or challenges we face or expect to face, and the vision of an ending.  It was very interesting as I realized that my story is basically a recreation of my life purpose that I formed when I was in Winshape.  They encouraged us to share our story through a letter or blog post so here goes…

I fell in love with Sonia at the orphanage during my 2nd trip.

I’m not sure at exactly what point it hit me but it was sometime during my second trip to Mexico.  The Lord opened my eyes to the need and despair of the children at the orphanage and the church where we held VBS.  Not only did He open my eyes but He also broke my heart.  My heart ached for the brown-eyed children who were born into a world of absolute poverty and who would very likely never see the world outside of Piedras Negras.  It was during that trip that I knew my life’s fulfillment would come through supporting and sharing the love of Christ with broken and hopeless children.

Some of the girls at the school in Nava, Mexico.

During my sophomore year of college I created my life purpose statement: "My life purpose is to love and encourage the children in the community where God has called, especially broken and orphaned Latinos, in order to develop in them a passion for education and to compel them to be full of hope, meaning, and purpose in the Lord."  It wasn't until my student teaching experience my senior year did I realize that the needs of the children in Rome, GA are in many cases the same as those beautiful brown-eyed children in Mexico that I had committed my life to serving.  It was then that I started looking into Teach for America.

One of the poorest neighborhoods in Piedras.

                                                                            When I was placed in the Mississippi Delta, I knew that I would face the realities of poverty and racism but I was not prepared for this.  During my summer school experience teaching Kindergarten in Belzoni, MS, I was shocked to see houses that made me think I was back in Mexico and to hear five year olds predict that "everyone is going to get shot" in a book with a picture of a family on the cover.  My purpose here became incredibly real to me over the last 5 weeks.  It is not to save these children from the failures of our history but instead it is to show them the love that comes only from our Savior and give them hope of who they can become.  

House down the street from my school in Belzoni, MS.

In just three weeks, I will begin teaching kids whom I was told not to assume have ever been to Jackson, 30 miles north of Hazlehurst.  I expect to have students not interested one bit in coming to school.  I know many of my students will be reading several years below grade-level and will get frustrated easily and want to give up.  I learned these lessons this summer; I had a number of kids who had never even been to school but already had negative connotations towards it.  I had parents who were very guarded and almost judgmental as we discussed the successes and failures of their children. Not only was I presented with the brutal facts of the situation and what I had to look forward to in August;  I also learned some ways to overcome them.  

A handful of my kids had rotten teeth, but all had beautiful smiles!

I had one student this summer who was a problem from day 1.  He was always in trouble and for the first two days of school, both he and I would leave school angry at one another (I taught the last hour of the day so of course he only left mad at me because I was the reason he didn't get a prize).  We had community night after the second night and of course this child and his mother showed up.  I was determined to share my frustration with his mother and ask what suggestions she might have for dealing with him.  Turns out she has some of the same problems at home.  Then I decided to actually talk to this child that I was struggling to love and just have a genuine, non-school related conversation.  Best decision I made all summer.  We formed a relationship which I realized we had not had.  Before, I was just the teacher and he was the kid who always needed to be in time out.  After our talk at community night, I was someone who wanted to hear about how much he loved dinosaurs and he knew that.  We talked about making right choices and thinking before getting angry over something he could have controlled.  He knew that I cared and that I believed he could do well.  Although he wasn't the perfect child the rest of the summer, he was definitely a different child than the one I had tried to ignore the first two days.  I learned about the power of relationships and the fact that before any learning can take place, a child needs to know that you care and believe in them.  It seems like common sense but for some reason it took this child to get it through to me.  Glad it happened this summer and not in October!        

Always have been a sucker for brown eyes.

While Institute opened my eyes to the issues that my kids and I will deal with every day, I also gained a lot of insight into how to combat those issues.  I definitely don't have all of the answers and know that there are plenty more challenges to come but I am so glad to have the support of TFA over the next two years.  Ultimately, it is my hope and desire that my students will leave my classroom feeling loved and valued, and with the knowledge they need in order to no longer be restricted by the injustices of our society.  It is so sad that my kids in the United States of America grow up with the same lack of opportunity as the kids that initially broke my heart in Mexico.

"One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."