Lessons Learned From The Classroom

Lessons Learned From The Classroom

"Life experience is the best teacher." - David Letterman

As the last week is about to begin for me and my fellow mentors working the Energy Express program this summer, a sort of melancholy reaches over us. Throughout all of the exhausting days of work, there is a certain sadness that hits us all heading into our last week. For any educator, the last week can be exciting, but also very sad. Perhaps it is best for all of us involved to not be sad about the now, but to appreciate what we have learned from this summer. For those that do not know, Energy Express is program throughout the summer that provides reading and writing literacy throughout our wonderful state of West Virginia. It is a staple of the summer here in West Virginia, and it is an honor to serve as a mentor in it. 

I do not know for certain what the other mentors of the program have learned, but I can tell you what I have learned. 

I have learned the power of persistence. The definition of persistence is as follows: the firm continuance of a course of action despite difficulty of or opposition. This trait is for certain something that I have learned this summer. There are certain activities that my young students would not like to do. It is not  because they cannot do the task, but rather they do not believe that they can do the task. I find this to be true throughout all ages of people from young to old. Most likely the reason why my young students did not get into the activity is because someone along the way stopped believing in them. We all can relate to this can't we? Just think about it, somewhere down the line, someone told you that you couldn't achieve something because you simply could not do that task or didn't understand what was asked. Speaking for my fellow mentors and readers, it is my job to tell them and you the reader, that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. I have seen it with my own two eyes this summer. That is persistence at work, never quitting despite the odds. Which leads me to my next topic that I have learned.

The second lesson that I have learned is the teaching moment. The teaching moment is the second tier to the persistence web that I have discussed. The teaching moment is what all great educators, coaches, and bosses put into those in their school, team, and organization. Oftentimes in life, we worry about the clock or time. We stress that if we do not understand it now, we will never get it. I have seen this with my students this summer as well. They worry that they won't have enough time to finish the task at hand. The thought of that is a lie. The reason being is that we have more time to understand and to most importantly LEARN. Think about all of the time you have worried and have gotten frustrated at not understanding or being successful at a certain task. You waste so much time worrying, as opposed to asking for help. That is where the teaching moment comes into play. The teaching moment is the moment that all of us educators love, and that is teaching those in need of help and helping them learn, and more importantly helping them get better. There is no better feeling that seeing the "light bulb" go on for someone who didn't understand something before, but now  understand it. 

The third lesson I learned this summer is the skill of empathy. Sympathy is the skill of feeling pity for someone else's misfortune. Empathy is the ability to UNDERSTAND the feelings that someone is experiencing. Many have felt sympathy before, but rarely have people felt empathy. . We walk a mile in our young student's shoes. More often than not, it is hard to do, because many of the stories and emotions they tell and express with us are very sad. But the important part is that we are the change agents for what is going on in their lives. We are the light house that takes away their darkness, and gives them hope. That hope is their education, to make their dreams come true.

The final lesson that I learned this summer is the power of love. Love  meaning, that my students can understand that not only that I care about them, but that I BELIEVE in them. Many young people go throughout life thinking that no one cares or believes in them. This is more so the norm for young people. That is why they have their guard up all of the time. Why they are into their phone so much or very spiteful. In our program the bright spot in their day isn't going home, it is leaving home. It is going into an environment that is calming and can enrich their lives both educationally and spiritually. I can say without a doubt that the Energy Express site that I work at this summer, checks both of those boxes every day. 

In conclusion, all of these lessons that I have learned were through experience. Not just the experiences that I have gone through, but by hearing and seeing the experiences that my fellow mentors have gone through as well. To all of the wonderful  young faces that walk through our doors each day during the time of our program I want to thank you because you have shown me that the future is bright with all of your determination to make the world a better place. To Maria, Caroline, Kelsey, Yasmeen, and Jazmine I would like to thank you for showing me all of these skills that I have learned this summer. All of you have not only made an impact into your students lives, but you have made an impact in my life. There is no question that all of these lessons can be beneficial in the classroom, the office, the field, and anywhere where leadership is required.