A Legacy

So yesterday was a tough teaching day. I teach a class called AVID(Advancement via Individual Determination). It is a class meant to address kids in the middle, kids who would be first generation college students, kids who need to develop the skills to go to college because they want to but don't have the resources to do it on their own. I work with my students on note taking, critical reading skills, working in tutorials, leadership skills, and advocacy skills. The program is a huge success in a lot of schools with most AVID students going to college and completing degrees. So you have an idea of what it means to some students I found this video some kids in CA made... Anyways, yesterday we got word that the high school our students go on to is dropping AVID--leaving the kids we have been working with for 2 years without a place. At the most critical point in their academic careers. So I was feeling pretty low about teaching and what I can do for kids last night, when my phone beeped. It was a text from a former student. I had coached her for 3 years in basketball and got to have her in class for a memorable 8th grade year. She was texting me for advice on college and life and making decisions. I didn't have any answers for her, I could just tell her what I thought and that really life is about not knowing what was going to happen and doing it anyway. I haven't had this young lady in class for almost 5 years and here she was reaching out to me. Now this is a special young woman. I used to pour a ton of energy into my teaching and relationships with my students. The girls I coached became my surrogate daughters for awhile. We laughed and cried together, experienced a lot of highs and some lows. They taught me a lot about myself and how to be a good teacher. Now a lot of my energy goes into my own family and not my relatiosnhips with students. I am still a good teacher, I still are for my students but it isn't the same as those years in Denver(and that's OK there is only so much of me to go around).

All of a sudden it made sense. This is why I love my job, this is why I do what I do. Love you Layla--thanks for giving me a reminder of the impact I have had.