The End of an Era

Tomorrow is my last day student teaching. It is going to be hard to say goodbye. I have come to know and love so many of my student is such a short period of time. It kinda scares me - if I am this emotional leaving students I have only known for two and a half months, what am I going to be like with students I've had all year.

I can't help it but my heart just aches for them. They are going to be facing so many adventures and I hope they are up to the task. They are all so brilliant but I would just like to see them make better choices.

From all the interviews I had yesterday, I realized one of the goals I have as a teacher - I want every one of my students to leave my classroom a better person. Science is great and important to learn but that isn't the main thing I want them to get from being in my class. I want them to achieve a sense of hope, of excitement, of understanding and of wisdom. I want their eyes to be opened to the many opportunities that they have at their fingertips. I want them to have to foresight to know where their current actions are leading them.

In science experiments, we always have a control - a sample where we keep everything the same. But then we have other samples where we change one thing - and only one thing - to make it different from the control and see what difference that one thing makes.

To all my students out there, look at how you are doing. If you do the same thing, you will keep getting the same results. Change one thing. Just one. See what a difference it makes. Sometimes it will be beneficial; other times it won't. Figure out what is best - for you. That is how you change your life - and the world for that matter - one thing at a time. Go out and achieve your full potential - because your potential is truly amazing.

To the Cartwrights

I have a lot to think about. This post isn't about how I can help others but about how others have helped me. I was able to talk with some people tonight that have exactly what I want for myself. It was such a great opportunity for me to see where they have come from and how they got what they have. I have been working towards this goal but it can easily seem overwhelming. Talking with them helped me to allay many fears and doubts that have been welling up in my mind. It is so nice to see that my goal is actually obtainable - I can do it because it has been done before.

So my question of how can I help people may have been answered tonight in a way. Instead of my original intention of questioning ways to help others with "howdoyouhelp.blogspot.com," it became how do you help influence my life for the better. How do you help? You have given me something that I could not give myself - a vision of hope. And you need all the hope you can get with my goal because obtaining it often means wading through the depths of despair.

I can't thank you enough. :)