Resource Center Inspiration

Today I wound up having to sub for a special ed resource study hall. It was a lot of walking around, checking work, prying earphones from kids' heads, stuff like that. But then one student, Luis, approached me about a paragraph he was writing for his English class about entering the Air Force after graduation. He gave me a stick of gum, we sat down and went to work.

It's been so long since I had a student ask questions like "What do you think of this word here? Is it a decent transition?" and "I'm not sure this word here means what I think it means--how can I find a better one?" and actually seem interested in the answers. The paragraph itself was an exercise in obviousness and basic thought, but it was honest, it was thoughtful, and the kid seemed to honestly want to make it as good as it could possibly be.

We toiled. We rewrote. We revised. And we finished.

It was definitely one of those moments that puts the whole educational mission in a new focus, fueling me with the inspiration and ardor necessary we all crave on a daily basis. A Teaching Moment for both student and instructor.

Anyway, you're not supposed to have gum in study hall. So I wrote him up and kicked him out.