Make a Difference

In 1997 I made a career change. Not a big change. After 20 years of teaching elementary school I moved to a middle school. I transferred from my neighborhood school, which celebrated its 100th anniversry the year I departed. It housed approximately 500 students. In September of that year I stood in the middle of a 6th grade classroom in a brand new middle school that held 1600 students. I sobbed hysterically. What had I done? I was used to my babies. I taught kindergarten for the majority of my grown up life and there I was unprepared to teach  preadolescents with raging hormones. Kids that would be taller than me. My teaching partner, and partner for life, assured me that my students were still babies just in bigger bodies.

My first big mistake of the year was the first day of school. I waste no time (as noted in A Waste of Time). I was accustomed to entertaining my students all day long. I forgot to release them for their electives. All of them:  TARDY! Oops. The second big mistake was the first day of school. I walked them out to the buses. I was used to a short silent line of students with their bus numbers pinned to their chests and five buses at the curb ready to board. Imagine 1600 kids released at one time and 40 plus buses revving their engines. Imagine chaos. Hello anxiety attack. My third big mistake of the year was during the first fire drill of the year on the second day of school. Two of my students got in a fistfight in the middle of the other 1598 preteens. One was a 70-pound weakling. The other outweighed him by 100 pounds. I held back the one weighing less than me and let the big guy beat the tar out of the little guy.

Many more mistakes were made in the ten years I taught middle school. Hopefully, I didn’t cause unreparable damage that hindered anyone from becoming a productive member of society. I always hoped that I made a difference in a child’s life.

Last week while visiting the city where I had taught I heard my teacher name called out. I recognized a face that was attached to a 6’5” man. He was my student 7 years ago. Being remembered, acknowledged and hugged made my day. The next evening I received a phone call from Mexico. Ernesto a student I taught 14 years ago, who spoke very little English at that time, tracked me down. He told me he would always remember Tony and me. That we made a difference in his life. Presently, he is a fashion designer with a shop in Mexico: Ernie’s Fashions.

 Don’t forget to thank someone who made a difference in your life.