yay! i was leaning towards the idea of teaching at school in lower-income first, anyway. i'm glad people agree
this year, i spent about 4 hours a week helping out in one of the most under-performing elementary schools in Boston-- and i wish my class schedule could have let me go more than that. going to that school (which entailed waking up at 7 am-- and i'm NOT a morning person) became the best part of my week, and i'd be so disappointed every time i looked at the clock and saw that i had to go home.
the kids were soooo affectionate. and the things they'd tell me about what went on at home? they'd tell me about how their fathers or teenage brothers (in one case, both) were in jail, about how they didn't have a home anymore, about how their dad's wallet got stolen, and about how they were abused as a child and now lived in a foster home. these kids were 9 years old.
it really made me look at my own tiny problems much differently. alhamdulillah for that.
even when they were bullying each other and i wanted to pull my hair out, it was wonderful.
i really doubt i could fall in love with some self-absorbed upper-middle class kids the same way i fell in love with these ones.
um. NOW I CANT WAIT TO GRADUATE AND GO BACK!
Re: The TEACHING Thread
.
. this is a problem i have with my sunday school students. and i might go on to teach high school in the future inshaAllah, so this is kind of what i'm worried about at the moment. i know it's difficult for someone to be a friend and also a teacher to a group of students.. any advice?
