2001-10-15
Hugo's e-mail, posted at 4:19 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Hugo, my favorite student from last year, sent me this e-mail:"Hey, how you doing ? how is work? so, I hope you like to work there and hope that you have a lot of fun there . Well, here is always the same school and work. By the way, You know that MSU has a lot of club around and alot of people go there to dance and get drunk. I just want to know if you any of those clubs or bars that I can go to dance I meet some girls there , you know what I mean , Mr. Epiphany. Well , I wish you the best there and let's keep in touch. good luck and see ya later.- Hugo"
I miss this kid so much. He was a Cuban refugee, and celebrated his third anniversary in the country last year while I was teaching him. English is his fourth language (as you can probably tell from his lack of verb conjugation). He's intelligent, polite, and works harder than I've ever seen a student work. I'll never forget him.
Lately, I've been feeling a little nostalgic for the comparatively lazy academic atmosphere of the high school I taught at last year. There, it was much more about saving kids, and making sure they get a spot in life and ensuring that they do indeed know that they can succeed. Here, it seems like it's about getting good SAT scores. It's a big difference. As I expected, there are positive and negative aspects to each. I can delve into the material more here, and as a lover of literature, that's a good thing for me. I can ask students to complete more challenging and creative projects, and can expect more from them. However, I no longer can have that feeling of really helping a kid who I knew wouldn't succeed without my help. I must demand more from my students here. There's more paperwork. I can sometimes barely keep up with the classes I am teaching. I miss having kids with IEP's or kids who were ESL.
I do like it here, though. I'm just not sure this is the type of school where I'm going to spend the rest of my life. Actually, my new fantasy is to teach at a prominently white school and be the liberal English teacher there, whether it be small town poor white kids or rich suburban kids - I think I could offer a wealth of experience to either group after teaching in urban schools. But that's a few years off, and definitely subject to change.
I still have no idea what turns and twists my life will take over the next half a decade. I'm excited but nervous that I could meet someone who could sweep me off my feet and change the direction my life is heading.