if they only knew me

Several times during our teacher inservice days last week and this week, we have been read If She Only Knew Me by Jeff Gray and Heather Thomas. It is a short book written from the eyes of a young, poverty-stricken child in the classroom. (Check it out on Amazon here.)

It was read specifically to my campus today because of our student population. We have the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the intermediate schools of our district. Our kids face bigger challenges before even getting to school that we have to learn how to accommodate their immediate basic needs before we can ever hope to impart new knowledge and skills. My favorite page in this book says something like, "If she only knew my daddy left me and my mom when I was 2, she'd stop threatening to call my daddy and have a conference." What an incredible way to teach teachers to get to know their kiddos individually.

Today after listening to it, we were asked to write down a reflection. This is mine:

"It surprises me, as a graduate of Clear Creek ISD, that there are these tough life situations happening here- in the place I grew up only knowing of it as safe and loving. It shocks my friends to hear some of the stories about our school. It may seem daunting and overwhelming some days to work with kids like ours, but it gives me great purpose and meaning. Each day, I get to wake up with the privilege of giving my kids more to hope for than what they left home with that morning. Each day, I want them to know they have the same potential and opportunities that I had as a kid here, no matter what obstacles face them outside our doors."

If my students only knew me:
-They would know I'm not just a white lady that feels sorry for them.
-They would know that I do understand heartache and pain even if our situations are different.
-They would know that I made it out of the schools they're going to alright and that I fully believe they can do it too.
-They would know I'm scared of failing them everyday by not being able to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.
-They would know that math is NOT the most important lesson I want to teach in my classroom.