Prompt 4
What sustains you in your work?
wind beneath my wings…
— Jenn Bartley
Walking in the halls, I noticed a small kindergarten student struggling to keep up with his class. He kept stumbling. Turns out he was wearing his big brother’s shoes because he didn’t have a pair of his own. I could’ve looked away, unconcerned since he wasn’t “my student.” However, I couldn’t unsee his needs. It’s moments like these that sustain me in education. Being able to meet a child where they are, instead of where they are supposed to be. Gifting him his very own pair of sneakers lifted his spirits and strengthened his wings so he could fly.
— Angela Couch
transition
There is a stretch of highway that is closed due to repairs. This made me think of my current position. It is ending and I’m going back into the classroom. This resonated with me because my current position is going to be closed to me, but I am able to transition into a preschool position.
Having students do a hands-on project that relates to what they are learning or sharing. Due to the violence that is happening all around this year, my student and I decided to join SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere). We stamped words on washers on the bracelets students are making.
— Valaida Doyle-Smith
advocating for change
— Sharon Cason
the greatest table
What sustains me as an educator is that I can teach the type of lessons to my students that I did not get a chance to learn. I create and teach historical, ancestral as well as social forms of art along with the school curriculum. We discuss, read books and recreate the artwork according to how the students interpret it, watch a video about current events and we tell stories in the artwork they create that may or may not be related to what the video was about. Watching the students’ wheels turning as I’m teaching the lesson really excites me as I teach and when we are done with discussion and directions the students love to hear me say the word Go. As I watch them carefully grab the mediums they choose to use; it is simply gratifying to know there is going to be a great piece of artwork on that piece of paper. And then sometimes what’s on the paper is just soooo stinking cute that it may absolutely have nothing to do with what we were even learning. It is simply something that they wanted to draw or create. And you know what? That’s fine with me.
connections
— “Grace Zheng”
I had to take a leave of absence for family matters and when I returned, there was a stack of about 100 handmade cards on my desk from the students, along with a teddy bear and a box of macarons. Some of the messages were very reflective and I found myself gleaning insight about life and loss from the students’ own stories. It is the ebb and flow of these types of meaningful connections with students that sustains me in teaching. Moreover, I feel sustained by connections with the school community. From administrators to teachers and support staff, it functions like a community working towards a common goal. And whether it is a new idea, a project, or a professional learning opportunity, my administrators will give it sincere consideration and allow me the room to grow.
— April Washington
stay for the kids
One of my former 3rd-grade students, who was usually well-behaved in my class but gave a hard time to everyone else, including her English Language Arts teacher, once caught my attention. One day, I overheard our Teacher in Charge asking her to get up as I walked around the corner. To my surprise, I saw that my student was lying on her back with her legs propped up against the wall. There were a few people gathered around her, but she ignored them. However, as soon as she heard my voice, she got up and came with me. That Christmas, before the break, she wrote me a message on a card expressing her appreciation. As an educator, I always try to connect with my students, no matter how difficult some of them may seem. I never label them as bad, nor would I allow students to call each other bad. I believe that I have the vision and patience to connect with them in a way that others may not.
the importance of a support system
— Lenora Keel
What has sustained me during my tenure as a School Social Worker at PHS has been the support, friendship, mentoring, the “I got your back no matter what” from some amazing co-workers. This picture represents some of the staff/women who always had my back. Even to this day, we stay in touch with each other, meet for events, dinners, phone calls and text. We all knew and understood the importance of supporting each other in an environment that did not always see and appreciated staff of color.