Growing up, my dream was to be a star in the NBA. Even though I was smaller, shorter, and less athletic than many of my peers, I never let people’s perceptions of my limitations discourage me. In my eyes, any goal was attainable as long as I put in the time, effort, and heart.
Since then, my boundless optimism has tempered, but I have never let go of my belief that even the most difficult of obstacles can be overcome. And yet, just a week and a half at the Dandelion School has left me feeling slightly hopeless at times as I begin to see how behind some of the students are academically in their first year here.
Undoubtedly, my most disheartening experience thus far was the day my 7th-grade students received their English exam scores. In a class of 40 students, only a handful received passing grades. Though the test grades do not truly matter at this time, there was an unmistakable feeling of gloom throughout the classroom which was only exacerbated when students were asked to reflect upon and discuss how they felt about their test scores. One by one, students would stand up and speak, many of whom expressed sentiments such as “sadness” (难过) and “disappointment” (失望), feelings I don’t recall ever experiencing in an academic setting until the latter years of high school. It was at this moment that I felt my most discouraged because it was when the reality that many of these students would not go onto high school, let alone college, truly hit me.
Nevertheless, I remain largely optimistic about not only the impact I will be able to make during my 12 weeks here, but also the students’ prospects because I have had the privilege of working with some of the amazing students I have ever encountered.
One of the first awesome moments I’ve had with my students was when our class’ English teacher assigned classwork and directed students to come to me with any questions. To my knowledge, the assignment would not be graded or even checked for completeness, and yet students still lined up to ask questions long after the bell releasing them from class had rung. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, but as I reflected upon it later I thought about how the students are essentially in class from 6 AM to 9 PM with only 10 minute breaks between periods and several extended breaks for meals. If I were them, I wouldn’t line up to do classwork, especially work that wasn’t graded! I’d be outside enjoying my break! To me, this experience signaled the students’ dedication and willingness to learn, and gave me hope that I can in fact make a difference in their lives.
However, an even more awe-inspiring moment occurred during one of my Oral English classes that I teach for 45 minutes twice a week. My students were learning how to give directions so I came up with a simple dialogue that the students could use to practice speaking. After going through the dialogue several times with the class, I encouraged each student to come up and read it aloud with a partner. At some point one of my students came to the front of the class, clearly only there because she had been dragged along by a friend. She looked awkward, uncomfortable, and her first few words were barely audible. Eventually, she gained some momentum but stopped when she came across a word she wasn’t quite sure how to pronounce. I whispered the word in her ear but she just couldn’t get the word out of her mouth. It started to feel like she had been standing up there for over a minute without saying anything and I could sense the class becoming impatient. And just when I thought that moment I had witnessed so many times in middle school when kids would start rudely laughing or making fun of a struggling student was about to happen, her classmates started clapping, cheering, helping her pronounce the word, and encouraging her to power through.
And she did.
“AROUND,” she said as confidently as she could. And as she finished her line the class roared with cheers once again.
I’m not someone who really believes in karma, but I’m a strong believer that when you treat others well, more often than not, they will treat you well in return. And with the display of character my students demonstrated that day, I am confident that they will continue to be the caring and compassionate people that inspire others to respond with kindness, especially in times of need. I feel privileged to be working with the students of Class 6, and look forward to many more great moments ahead.
Since then, my boundless optimism has tempered, but I have never let go of my belief that even the most difficult of obstacles can be overcome. And yet, just a week and a half at the Dandelion School has left me feeling slightly hopeless at times as I begin to see how behind some of the students are academically in their first year here.
Undoubtedly, my most disheartening experience thus far was the day my 7th-grade students received their English exam scores. In a class of 40 students, only a handful received passing grades. Though the test grades do not truly matter at this time, there was an unmistakable feeling of gloom throughout the classroom which was only exacerbated when students were asked to reflect upon and discuss how they felt about their test scores. One by one, students would stand up and speak, many of whom expressed sentiments such as “sadness” (难过) and “disappointment” (失望), feelings I don’t recall ever experiencing in an academic setting until the latter years of high school. It was at this moment that I felt my most discouraged because it was when the reality that many of these students would not go onto high school, let alone college, truly hit me.
Nevertheless, I remain largely optimistic about not only the impact I will be able to make during my 12 weeks here, but also the students’ prospects because I have had the privilege of working with some of the amazing students I have ever encountered.
One of the first awesome moments I’ve had with my students was when our class’ English teacher assigned classwork and directed students to come to me with any questions. To my knowledge, the assignment would not be graded or even checked for completeness, and yet students still lined up to ask questions long after the bell releasing them from class had rung. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, but as I reflected upon it later I thought about how the students are essentially in class from 6 AM to 9 PM with only 10 minute breaks between periods and several extended breaks for meals. If I were them, I wouldn’t line up to do classwork, especially work that wasn’t graded! I’d be outside enjoying my break! To me, this experience signaled the students’ dedication and willingness to learn, and gave me hope that I can in fact make a difference in their lives.
However, an even more awe-inspiring moment occurred during one of my Oral English classes that I teach for 45 minutes twice a week. My students were learning how to give directions so I came up with a simple dialogue that the students could use to practice speaking. After going through the dialogue several times with the class, I encouraged each student to come up and read it aloud with a partner. At some point one of my students came to the front of the class, clearly only there because she had been dragged along by a friend. She looked awkward, uncomfortable, and her first few words were barely audible. Eventually, she gained some momentum but stopped when she came across a word she wasn’t quite sure how to pronounce. I whispered the word in her ear but she just couldn’t get the word out of her mouth. It started to feel like she had been standing up there for over a minute without saying anything and I could sense the class becoming impatient. And just when I thought that moment I had witnessed so many times in middle school when kids would start rudely laughing or making fun of a struggling student was about to happen, her classmates started clapping, cheering, helping her pronounce the word, and encouraging her to power through.
And she did.
“AROUND,” she said as confidently as she could. And as she finished her line the class roared with cheers once again.
I’m not someone who really believes in karma, but I’m a strong believer that when you treat others well, more often than not, they will treat you well in return. And with the display of character my students demonstrated that day, I am confident that they will continue to be the caring and compassionate people that inspire others to respond with kindness, especially in times of need. I feel privileged to be working with the students of Class 6, and look forward to many more great moments ahead.