When I first met Joshua at the beginning of his
7th grade year, I could tell that he
was going to make my day interesting. He
was observant and could read people in a surprising way, and he proved to be incredibly “street smart” for someone so young. He had strong opinions about style, wearing
Batman gloves with the fingers cut off and a leather jacket. He took great pride, as I’m sure he still does, in putting on just
enough cologne and keeping his shoes clean.
He made me laugh every day, and he smiled and waved at everyone he saw
in the halls. He wanted to be in the military, just like his mom. I
was excited and sad to see Joshua off to high school, and I was proud of
how far he had come in the two years I knew him.
I saw Joshua
this past spring at
Special Olympics, and I was so happy to see how well he was getting along with
his new high school peers. He taught me a great deal about receiving certain students with gentle
firmness. I learned how to show that I
cared at the same time providing unwavering structure. I had to consistently enforce consequences when earned, whether positive or negative. I learned how to portray to a student, even
when they were upset with me, that I cared for them.
This is why Joshua is Special to Me.
A
special thank you to Erica Atkisson who allowed me to share my
thoughts about her son. If
you would like to submit a picture and blurb about a student who is special to
you, please email it to teachers4.2morrow@gmail.com. Your special student could be featured in the
upcoming months. It is mandatory that
you receive written approval from parents before submitting any pictures or
blurbs. Teachers4.2Morrow will not be
held liable for any pictures or blurbs featured without parent approval. It is the sole responsibility of the
submitting teacher to gain written approval from parents before submission, and
the submitting teacher will take full responsibility for the submission if
prior approval is not granted by parents.
No comments:
Post a Comment