Examples can be good or bad, a pattern to be imitated or not to be imitated. Working at a high school has its bittersweet moments. Students are brutally honest about what they think. For example, “Miss you look tired, you look rough, you look mad…”. I try to set an example for my students, not necessarily a good example, but an example that it’s possible to work, have fun and be a real person. On a good day, students are happy and say hello and usually have some kind of compliment, “Miss you’re funny, I like your shirt…”. Small victories, the fact that they notice something besides themselves and show kindness to someone without expecting some kind of return or reward is a victory. A recent study showed that raising children is more stressful then a full time job….DUH! What if your job is spending 8+ hours with kids, let alone teenagers….YIKES! When I first started working at a school the students would make me so nervous. Groups of five or more would come into the office and I’d ask them to leave and come back one at a time. Seven years later, I’m acclimated and able to walk down the hall during passing period without having a mini panic attack. All I have to say is thank goodness my school is small and I have the ability to know the students. It really does make all the difference. Truthfully, I believe they have taught me more than I have taught them. They are my example. Every day they show up, they represent how education can make all the difference in a person’s life. Whether it’s what you learn academically inside a classroom, situations you encounter with peers, or managing a crappy home life. The difference between school and life is this, in school you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson. Sometimes I forget that I am just as much an example to the students as they are me. Come January, my new adventure will remind me of the example I am to students and teachers alike.
