In two words, I was able to sum up the difference between younger and older generations of today. Younger generations, mine for example, want instant gratification in everything we do, yet we rarely achieve it. Today, I got the blessing of feeling true instant gratification while reinforcing that I am doing what I was meant to do. I have chosen the perfect career path in being a teacher and a school psychologist.
At Sylvan on Monday, I was given a student that I had never worked with before. This student is a regular at Sylvan, so I had seen him and noticed his behaviors. He was odd, and something was just a little different about him, but since I had never worked with him, I was unaware of what this difference might be. He would randomly start yelling or singing during class and I noticed that he was often difficult to keep on task. I didn't know what to do with this student but decided I would do what I thought was best and try a variety of strategies to keep him focused and motivated.
Well, the hour was just awful. I was having a bad day and couldn't connect with the students, they were having an off day and couldn't stay focused. I left work feeling completely unproductive and like I had just wasted precious time with those students, this one little boy in particular. At the end of the hour his dad approached me. He said he had noticed my struggles with his son. I mentioned that it was difficult to get work out of him today and the father said he figured today would be a bad day for the boy. "Oh, and you did know he is autisic, right?" Well, obviously I didn't know this. I had never worked with an autistic child before so I really had no idea what to do. I thought about this a lot for the next few days. Here I am, planning to get a PhD in school psychology to help students with reading and learning disabilities, which could very well include autistic children. I was given the opportunity to put my skills to the test and I failed. Is this really the career for me? Will I be able to help these students and make a difference in their lives so they can be successful? I have been pondering these questions for the past few days, and really haven't been able to come up with an anwer for them. I got my answer tonight.
Tonight, I was teaching and was given the same little boy at my table. I'll be honest, I was really nervous to see him again. I told myself that I was a good teacher and just to do my best to help him. It would work. I worked really hard with him, asking him to help me understand the reading passages and complicated words, while helping him decipher words unknown to him. To my astonishment, we succeeded in completing five assignments. I have never been more proud of a student or my own teaching abilities. Before he left I said, "Go outside and tell your dad that you completed five assignments tonight," in my most excited voice. He looked so pleased with himself and skipped outside. A few minutes later he and his dad left, both smiling. The success of that little boy, the smile on his face and the overwhelmingly good feeling I had was my instant gratification. It told me that I have definitely picked the right career. I will be able to make a difference in the lives of children struggling with reading and learning disabilities, and most importantly, I will be happy every day of my life. I can't place this feeling into words, it's that good.
Instant gratification may be difficult for most people to experience in their careers, but I am blessed enough to get to feel it every day. :)
-Tracey
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