- 28 Mar, 2024
- 0 Comments
- 5 Mins Read
Blogger: Through the Looking Glass
So… I know right about now, you’re probably asking, “Why, AJ? Why are you (a teenage girl) writing blogs for an educational website?” Shouldn’t you be at the mall? What were you thinking? Well, I’m actually going to answer that question—Why?
I guess the most straightforward response would be to say that I truly am my mom’s daughter, so it’s in my DNA. Yeah, uh huh. I got that good ole’ helping gene. Alright, but seriously. I think it began when I first started writing, and then, well, one thing led to another and… Here I am now!
Let’s start at the beginning…Cause where else?
A long time ago… in a galaxy far, far away— Just kidding! When I was ten years old, my mom had to write a speech for the graduating class of education majors at her college. She was swamped with work, and I just wanted to help, so I volunteered as tribute, “Hey, mom! I can write the speech for you!” And that’s where it started….
I began writing, trying my hardest to make something good enough for my mom to read, and this is what I wrote (P.S. I was ten, so have some mercy):
“People of the education family or soon to be you have come a long way and have worked so hard. You deserve this honor of being accepted into being a teacher. every one of you has worked so hard and each and everyone one of you has a mission to educate people for example math, science, physics , or future teachers there are endless possibilities . When students need help you have to be the one to help them up and show them that they can pursue there dreams weather it is to be a astronaut, fireman, engineer, builder, or teacher it is up to you to guide them in to being who they want to be. It might be hard but if you put the effort in you will get twice as much in return. It is up to you to teach them to make the world a better place. Amazing things can happen but it all starts with each and every one of you.”
The day of the education dinner came, and I waited anxiously at home for my mom to come and tell me how it went. When I heard that I had gotten a standing ovation… I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock, and I was totally ecstatic.
The ‘Why?’ factor
After that, I really wanted to be involved in education, and when I first started presenting with my mom, it got even better. You see, I had always wanted to travel, and now I could help people, too. It was a win/win scenario! My want to do this only strengthened because of school—So, yeah. School was helpful—Oh, right! I forgot to mention my time as a traditional schooler. Oops! Let’s back it right on up!
Quick recap, I was in traditional school until 6th grade… So, yes. I had to sit in the very same uncomfortable chairs as you…Well maybe not exactly the same… But, oh, you get it! As for the homeschoolers… I have sat in the very same beanbag chairs as you. Lol. During the last year of my ‘traditional scholastic career,’ I began to feel like I was falling behind: I couldn’t focus in the classroom; my grades weren’t where I wanted them to be, and everyone else seemed to be doing just fine, so why wasn’t I? Point was:
I. Didn’t. Feel. Smart.
In fact, I felt just the opposite, and when my mom made a shift in her career, I thought, “well, why shouldn’t I?” That’s when I said to my mom, “Great, now you can homeschool me.” I will repeat this throughout the entirety of my blogs: I. WAS. KIDDING. But, moving on…
On the first day of homeschool, I had a mental breakdown. I was a wreck. A hopeless being of negatively. (Oh, and sorry, mom.) I was absolutely destroyed… You get it? When I finally looked back on my experience in traditional school, I was able to figure out exactly what had happened. So, here it is:
- Número uno: I had ‘bad habits.’ The strategies that had worked for me in the past had… outlived their usefulness.
- Second: I felt like no one in school realized that I was struggling, and all I heard was: “Here’s the material… Learn it.” So, I did phenomenally.
- Third: I wasn’t allowed to do the things that would help me learn. What I mean by that is… Um, okay! So, you know the window seat girl, who was also the pencil tapper (pens are too much responsibility), kniggler (knee wiggler), hummer, singer, shoe tapper, finger drummer, fidgeter… You get the point? Yeah, that’s me…
I realize now (and I blame maturity) that I was not the only one struggling and that I had nowhere near as bad of an experience in school as some. For a while I felt upset at teachers: I thought that they didn’t care, that they didn’t notice, that they were the reason—
Then I remembered a saying I had heard before: “It’s not the people who fail, it’s the system.” So… When my mom asked if I wanted to travel with her and help her present to teachers, I thought, “VENGENCE!” No, no! Just kidding! I thought, “Let’s do this!!!”
Teacher appreciation time!
Turns out, stepping through those doors (both metaphorical and literal school doors) was one of the best decisions I ever made. For me, it was really cool to see educators genuinely wanting to help their students. Full disclosure, because I don’t want you getting the wrong idea…I have had some amazing teachers who have had an extraordinary impact on my life. It is really easy to blame teachers (believe me) when you struggle in school, considering they’re the first line of defense. It took presenting to those teachers for me to remember that fact… And before you ask, no, I haven’t found out where test questions come from. That will forever be an unknown mystery, never to be solved!
But getting back on track… My story is only one of many. Everyone’s story is different, and both teachers and students have been navigating a system that (let’s face it) has been broken for a very long time. Those who try to fix it have their own reasons from their own stories. However, this one is mine…