If you ask one hundred different people what being a great teacher means then you would probably have about one hundred different answers. I chose to read about Rodney Carey, a teacher in a rough neighborhood in New Orleans. The title was "Look for the Success Stories" and that really stuck out to me because an old mentor a long time ago taught me the same thing. She used to tell me that everyone had a success story, it was up to us as educators to help them find it. I think everyone has a success story, you've just got to dig deep and find it. I read this article and actually got teary eyed at the great work that this educator is doing. He's not just here for the money, he's here to make a difference and that is saying something. Carey gives his phone number out and offers rides and that's incredible because most teachers wouldn't dare.
I think that believing in your students and setting them up for success in any way you can is what makes you a great teacher. Carey had a rough life of his own and decided to make a difference and to try to help change the lives of those around him and to prevent them from making the same mistakes he did. I fell in love with this story because it kind of reminds me of Rita Pierson's "Every Child Needs a Champion" video. It's not just children, every BODY needs a champion. Someone they can count on to be there for them and to drag them out of the mess they create. Especially our students. They need us way more than we need them. I hope to be a difference maker. My favorite quote is the last paragraph in this article shared by Carey.
"I know that you cannot save everybody," he says. "But if one of them could just go along, complete his education, go to college, and I see him in the future doing something positive with his life, that makes me think that what I was doing is all worthwhile."
And I hope to be that for my students.
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