The perpetual student becomes the teacher- (sort of). Yay! I think. Well, at least I'll be in a position where I can pretend to be the boss. The school system here has a new sub and Miss. Erin doesn't take any disrespect.
That title was given to me quite some time ago, yet my memories as a tutor in the hardcore inner city of Columbus have never really gone away. In fact, my family even ended driving past and taking pictures of the old elementary school I trekked out to three days a week for two years in between my own college classes come rain, sleet, and pregnancy morning sickness on a recent trip to Ohio.
Ironically, we didn't plan to go down that path but when we took a wrong turn downtown, I recognized the streets I used to drive and had to see if anything had changed. The parking lot was newly paved and the playground had grown but the old,rundown school building in the even more damaged neighborhood were still the same. Looking up at the second floor window to the left I recognized the exact classroom that I would quietly sneak into only to be bombarded with an onslaught waves and hugs and found it strange to be back with my own brood impatiently waiting in the backseat.
It really did seem as if nearly a lifetime had passed, not only for me, but for that class as well. Back then,David, Crystal, and Sarah were in second grade struggling to read and write and now they would be high school seniors if they worked hard and stayed in school. I hope they did and are excited about going onto start college but a for a high percentage of kids in that town, graduation day comes and goes without them. Still, I wonder what happened to that funny, little boy with the broken glasses, that sweet girl who's older brother was sent to juvenile detention for making her smoke a joint, and that highly spirited girl who's ADHD had her playing underneath her desk more than sitting at it.
I may not have felt like I was actually accomplishing much reading another book, writing another paper and taking yet another test in my own classes, but while crammed in that small area between the cubby holes overflowing with coats and backpacks I was temporarily elevated to a higher status. I was Miss. Erin and as such I took my responsibilities seriously and didn't think twice about spending more time and effort preparing lessons than studying for my own courses. What meant more to me was just to help these kids, who were overlooked, get a little farther and feel valued for awhile. In turn, they did the same, if not more, for me.
