One of My Greatest Moments ...

 

 

I was recently asked the following question while at a book signing for Heart Prints:  "What is your greatest achievement in the classroom?" I was quiet, contemplating the answer that the inquiring audience member demanded of me.  I didn't want to just "say" something to simply answer the question, yet, so many moments came to mind, rushing at me to be the "right" answer.  Was it the first time I taught a lesson and every one of my students "got it"?  Was it the time I saved a young lady from hurting herself by threatening to join a gang?  Was it the time I took my first group to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC and witnessed their visible pain and sorrow?  All of those moments, times a thousand more, could have easily been my answer and it would have been justified.  However, without a doubt, the one moment that I consider to be my "greatest" was when my first set of Freedom Writers walked across the stage to receive their high school diploma.

 

This group of students holds a very special place in my heart and they are the reason I became a the kind of teacher I always wanted to be.  They came to me as freshmen with stories yet to be told.  They were all different but placed in the same class because they had placed lowest on the placement exams to enter high school.  It was my job to help them succeed by teaching them study skills necessary to become high school graduates.  However, that was only a small part of what we learned together.  RJ came in from the city trying to discover who he was and began being ridiculed because he acted differently than what his peers expected. When he arrived home at night he played the safety net trying to protect his mother and sister from his alcoholic father.  Patrick came to high school after being told at his middle school that he would never graduate from high school; that he would always be a failure.  Rosa came to high school hungry and cold because they did not have the money to pay their bills.  Mylott came to in to school everyday with a low self-esteem because of constantly being bullied throughout his school career.  These four students represent only a small fraction of the 24 students that became "The Mix"... the first set of Freedom Writers at Lancaster Catholic High School.  They overcame adversity, became self-confident and certain, and walked across that stage four years later to receive their high school diplomas.  They did it because they learned that they can do anything they believe to be possible. 

 

Throughout our four years together, "The Mix" traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild homes with Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the beautiful city and took away the homes of millions of people.  They each raised $500 by holding car washes, bake sales and more... each one participated fully and learned the importance of helping others. No matter how much The Mix endured on a daily basis, they realized that others had much less and suffered much more. "The Mix" traveled throughout the East Coast to meet Erin Gruwell on many occasions and they quickly became her "posse".  She embraced each of them and remembered each one by name.  She changed their world and they wanted to continue to change the world.  And so, by their Senior year, they accomplished what some would never seem possible.  "The Mix" , which by this time was a solid group of six (the others moved on to Academic and Honors classes), raised over $16,000 in a four month period, traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, and changed the lives of the students at a school where the average family income is a mere $5,000.  They loaded a U-Haul truck with school supplies, back packs, t-shirts, paint, food, and much more.  They restocked the supply closet, painted the entire school, created a mural, and installed a playground for all of the students at Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option Elementary School. They became rock stars in the eyes of the children who needed to feel loved... and they accomplished so much more!  They changed their world and, in return, they changed their own lives. 

 

And so, when "The Mix" walked across that stage, diploma in hand, the smiles on their faces were mirrored with tears from my own eyes.  I witnessed  something that others believed to be impossible.  I witnessed the transformation of this remarkable set of students into young women and men  who had already changed the world... I could not wait to see where their lives and journeys would lead them...  without me.  They were ready and I know now, without a doubt, that graduation of my first set of Freedom Writers was the most profound moment of my teaching career.  But, there were so many more....

Can you Change the World??



I was recently sent an article/video, 10 Life Lessons from a Navy Seal, from my oldest daughter, Michelle, who said it might be a good topic for a blog entry.  Not knowing what the article was about, I clicked on the link (http://www.lifebuzz.com/10-lessons-from-navy-seal/#!T3IxB) and seven words kept repeating themselves over, and over, and over again throughout the piece... "If you want to change the world..."

I now knew why it was so important for me to read this inspirational article about a Navy Seal who challenged the graduating class at the University of Texas at Austin to change the world and how they can do it.  I challenged my own students to "Change the World" each year in my classroom.  Sometimes it was a mere "be kind to everyone you meet", "be empathetic to others", "have someone's back", and other slightly simple phrases.  Many times, my students heeded my words and conquered the challenge by listening more attentively, giving more completely, and helping more deeply.  However, never was this statement more true than with a group of students I dubbed "The Mix".

This group of students came into my life when they were freshmen, being placed in my Academic Skills class where they would learn how to adapt to high school expectations by enhancing their study skills and reading comprehension.  They became my family and over a four year period, we became an important part of each others lives.

When they entered their senior year, we had already traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, and traveled all over the East Coast to listen to Erin Gruwell speak about second chances, hope, and believing in the underdog.  What else could we do before they graduated?  On the first day of their senior year, I posed the question:  "If you could change the world, what would you do?"  They came up with many creative ideas and settled on the grandest solution they could realistically perform:  They were going to Nashville, Tennessee to build a playground for a group of poverty stricken students whose families live with an annual family income of $5,000.  They were also going to bring them backpacks, clothes, school supplies, and so much more.  How could six students, in a time period of a few months, raise enough money to do all of this?  They did it because they realized that there are kids in this world who needed them and they wanted to change their lives.  "The Mix" changed the lives of many young people in Nashville, Tennessee and, in return, their lives were also changed.  They no longer complained about things they did not have because they witnessed those who had little and never complained.  They witnessed smiles on faces who should be crying.  They received hugs from young children who were so appreciative for a simple t-shirt and time spent playing together.  They received unconditional love and gave it in return.  "The Mix" changed the world .... what can you do to change the world?

Read more about "The Mix" in my book Heart Prints which can be purchased on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.