Days When You Realize You Are Making A Difference

My job is not the most pleasant in the world. I work in a prison after all. Its easy to get down because of the environment. It's just the nature of the beast I guess. Being a teacher in a prison is especially demanding because sometimes you just don't know if you are making a difference.

I've had my class for 3 months now and to be honest, we had a rocky start. I took the class over from a teacher who quit without notice. I had no clue what had been taught or what the students were like. In retrospect, I didn't even know what should be taught for my class' level, they just threw me in there and said "teach them". So, with no guide or curriculum to follow, I started with the basics (seemed sensible to me). Admittedly, at times, it was a tad too basic; my students were insulted by some of the stuff I gave me, but I had to gauge where they were at. Eventually I discovered what I needed to focus on.

This discovery allowed me to plan future lessons and start building on the former principles. I learned what they would be tested on and I made sure everything we studied would help them to succeed. Then, before we progressed to new material, we reviewed older material (lest we forget, you know the motto repetition is the best teacher). At first my students didn't like me because I was "tripping" over this teaching thing. However, after the intitial few days of class, they realized I was serious about teaching and they started accepting what I expected from them. They got into the groove of class and began to ask questions and become receptive to my style of teaching.

It was hard work and a little scary but the last 3 months were worth it and very rewarding. My students recently tested (T.A.B.E. tests of adult basic education) and they did incredible; not only did my class' average scores increase but 6 of my students were promoted to the next grade level. I was so proud because I saw the fruits of my labor. I didn't expect it, but the best part was when some of my students actually thanked me for helping them acheive something.

Teachers always had a big impact on my life, I'm so glad that I can pay it forward by making a small difference in my corner of the world.