My Volunteer Story

So I thought I’d share a story with you that wasn’t Newsies or Broadway related. Heck, it’s hardly even NYC related except that it happened right here in NYC. 

I’ve worked with a lot of students over the past few months, and many of them really stood out to me. I will never forget them for the rest of my life.

Still, there’s one student who I think will always hold a special place in my heart. He wasn’t the first student to talk to me. That was Christian. He wasn’t even the first student to ask me for help. That was Jon. This student didn’t even come to Academic Support until the last few weeks of school, and when he finally did, it wasn’t to get help with his studies. But that’s what happened.

Jonathan first came to Academic Support in mid-May. He was one of those students who didn’t have a lot of confidence in his work. He got in trouble in class for messing around, and was definitely a talker. He could talk for days. I’d seen him in the halls a few times, but didn’t know him very well when he approached me.

“Ms. Carlsen, could you teach me how to solve this?” he asked, holding up a very beat up Rubik’s cube.

I nodded, and he asked if we could start right away. Slowly over the next week, I taught him the different steps to solve a Rubik’s cube, and I tested his patience. I gave him one little piece a day and sent him to practice it, making him promise to get his work done first. I told him I’d give him the next step when he could do it without my help.

Jonathan worked at it all week. There were times where I thought he was going to give up, but he didn’t. Unlike his school work, this had his attention. He knew what his goal was, and he was determined to get there. I hadn’t seen that sort of determination in any of our students all year.

By the end of the week, he knew all the steps, and though he still struggled with the last step, he was able to solve it a few times. Any time he did, he’d come strolling into Academic Support with a huge smile on his face, very proud of himself, and he’d hold it out to me. I always took it, studied it, and congratulated him.

I was building a relationship with Jonathan, hoping that we would eventually be able to just work on academics. With a week left of school, we still hadn’t talked about his studies, but suddenly that was okay.

Ms. Toney, his English teacher, came in to talk to me about Jonathan. Apparently, the Rubik’s cube lessons had improved his behavior and it was a topic of conversation in the teacher’s room. Jonathan wasn’t acting out in class anymore. He stayed focused on the lessons, and encouraged his classmates to be quiet and get their work done, all because he wanted to have a few precious moments at the end of every class to solve the Rubik’s cube.

There were times where I wondered if leaving a Rubik’s cube on my desk was the right thing to do. Some teachers questioned it, but I would let it sit there. I didn’t know why, but now I do. Jonathan will definitely be coming in next year, and we’re going to work on the Professor Rubik’s cube. It’s a 5x5x5 cube, and I’m sure Jonathan will be solving it by the end of the year.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2012

This week is a week that we often overlook. It’s Teacher Appreciation Week.

As children, we don’t always show our teachers the appreciation that they deserve. We take from them, and complain about them, and whine about tests. Sometimes, we do our homework and work hard in their classes. Sometimes, we forget that there is a quiz in class, or to read ahead.

Teachers work really hard for each and every one of us. They do their best not to play favorites, and they try to reach out to all of their students. They stay on top of technology to teach us in interesting and different ways. They fight for our successes. They cry when we fail.

Teachers love us. Frustrating or the perfect student, it doesn’t really matter in the eyes of a teacher. They want the same thing from each one of us.

Teachers are the people who can really reach out and change our lives. It’s the little things they do, from putting a sticker or a star on top of an essay, to bringing in a movie as a treat for the class, that makes a difference in the eyes of their students. The little things are the things that change us.

It’s having the teacher take an extra ten minutes out of their day at the end to sit and talk with you that helps you. It’s the teacher knowing somethings wrong, even if you don’t.

These people are overlooked so often, and I ask you to reach out to any teacher, current or past, and thank them for what they have done for you. If you think they haven’t done anything for you yet, thank them anyway. One day, you’ll look back and be glad you did, because in 5, 10, maybe 15 years, you’ll see that they did, in fact, help you.

Some interesting articles for you to look at:

• It’s Teacher Appreciation Week – Thanks to Those Who Inspire (ruthcatchen.wordpress.com)
• Teacher’s Pet – Show some class during Teacher Appreciation Week with these gifts (theinsider.retailmenot.com)
• Printable Teacher Appreciation Card (bedifferentactnormal.com)
• “Hipsters” to the Rescue: What are your “Hip” Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas? (hip2save.com)