Challenges

It is difficult to look at different moving stories and only pick two that impacted me because they have all moved me in some way. However, the three I have chosen are the ones that brought back memories of incidents in my high school where these challenges occurred. As a prospective teacher, I find myself optimistic thinking of all the great aspects to teaching, but there are going to be moments where the job will be difficult. Though times are difficult, as long as I am there to help my students through these struggles as best I can, I have done my job correctly.

            A year ago, I watched a television episode where a boy committed suicide. I found myself struggling with this episode because my eyes were opened to the realities that this could happen in my school one day. As the year went on, I shoved the idea out of memory because in Maine, teen suicides are uncommon (to my knowledge). However, a boy who I graduated with committed suicide this past summer. His mother was a teacher at our high school. He was an athlete who had placed a few records on the track team. The boy was outgoing and well known. He and I shared many classes together and I had always seen him as somebody who consistently smiled. I had known he struggled at times and that his mother was very strict, but I never remembered a moment when he was miserable. Recently, we would discuss how life as collegians was when he came into the store I worked at. We had both admitted life was moving too fast, but most people think this. Suicide was the last thing that I had expected him to do. Yet, on that night as I read people’s messages I realized he had done just this. I remember crying because though we were not best, he made an impact on my life with his smiles and discussions. I left a message on his Facebook wall saying how he was such a positive influence in my life. Many students did the same. His mom was really touched by all the nice thoughts people had. As I read Teaching Hope, I was reminded of this moment in the summer. It brought the reality to my eyes that this is a common challenge in all schools that has a great impact on the entire school. Entry number 23 reveals how difficult it can be to see the signs of suicide. As a teacher, I know what to look out for and I must remember to make sure I communicate with my students so they know I care about them and the decisions they make.

            Another entry that touched me personally was number 28. Rape is a serious problem that many teens have been through but keep bottled up and to themselves. It is one of those challenges we teachers might face but do not want to think about because it is emotional and difficult. The reality is that many girls have suffered some sort of rape. Many of them may not associate their accounts as rape because it was someone they knew who raped them. My freshman year of college a close friend of mine was raped. People told her to be careful for substance abuse and such, but none of us thought to warn her about who you can and cannot trust at college. Her new boyfriend from college seemed sweet enough; however, she said no to a sexual act but he and forced her. She was so sad and the police on campus told her they had more pressing issues to deal with. She was unable to change her room even though right across the hall was the person in the world that she feared the most. No one there would listen to how she was hurting at school, so instead she confided in her friends from high school after waiting a long time to feel comfortable enough to talk. Much like the girl in Teaching Hope entry 28, she felt as though she was stupid and did something wrong. She cried for days. I do not want to be the kind of teacher who tells my students that their problems are not the most pressing issues. All my students are going to be important to me and anything they feel comfortable telling me is going to be important. I want them to know I care and will be there to listen to all they have to say whether it is good or bad. I never want them to feel alone, and for them to know I will always be there to help and get them the help they need. They should not have to deal with thinking they are awful when they have done nothing wrong.

Works Cited:
Gruwell, Erin. Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writer Teachers and Erin Gruwell. New York: Broadway, 2009. Print.