"Texture... isn't that like texting??"
"Were the high schoolers at your school more thug than us? Were the boys cuter?"
Student: Wait... you're married?!?!
Me: Yep!
(Student blushes redder than red and stops talking... no quiero saber, as my high school spanish teacher used to say)
Student: I hate this assignment, I already did it last year! Do I have to do it again?
Me: Yep! Life's rough, isn't it?
Student: It's rough when you're in charge...
(Hushed discussion about how to pronounce my name... they don't know I'm right behind them)
Student 1: Stabes?
Student 2: E-sta-vez.
Student 3: Staves.
Student 2: (to me) Are you Hispanic?
Me: Yes.
Student 2: AWESOME!!! ME TOO!! HIGH FIVE!!!
These students are a riot. I'm slowly but surely learning how to connect with them personally so that I can then connect with them intellectually. Easier said than done... but I believe it will be worth it! I think high school is the same now as it was when I was there back in the day, but what's changed is my perception of reality. The reality of consequences. The reality of life at its hardest. The reality of the need for approval and acceptance (and the crazy ways of seeking it out). The reality of doing your best to be comfortable with who you really are. Some of the decisions these kids make every day break my heart. It breaks my heart even more to think that for some of them, it all started with the haphazard choices of mom and dad before them. They can be a rough crowd, but I'm trying my best to see the good in them. All of them. Even if it is rough when I am in charge...
[RACHEL]
High school is way hard, but it can be awesome too. Glad you're having fun with your students!
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