One of my brick walls came three weeks into my freshman year at college when I lost my father. I was faced with the choice to change all the plans I had made to live 5 hours away from my family to prepare for my career or to come home and be near them at that time. It was hard but I stayed the course and came home on the weekends. If I hadn't have stayed I wouldn't have learned how to persevere on my own...and for that I am thankful. I think I help my students deal with brick walls by talking to them about what they feel is in their way and discussing with them what might help them knock down the wall bit by bit or boost them over it. For some kids it's making friends in the room, for some kids it's learning multiplication facts, some struggle with organization, bus issues, home life, etc., etc. Really, it's just about taking the time to talk to the students and help them figure out what might help them scale the wall.
It is sad how kids struggle to make friends with others. Partially due to technology but also due to the fact that kids don’t have the social skills anymore. It makes me sad that they miss out on being adventurous and creative. I also feel like they are lacking in coping skills and how to express themselves.
A brick wall that I face is with my husbands family. They are very judgemental and they like to try and show love through gifts and then make you feel bad for not doing something to their expectation. He has a very strained relationship with them. I am a person who does not like confrontation and likes to please everyone so this is a very hard situation for me to deal with especially now that we have our daughter. In the big scheme of things, I have seen first hand what a toxic relationship can look like and do not want to expose my daughter to that. In a way, I feel like it has made me stronger for my daughter but also for myself to not let people walk over me. I have learned to set boundaries and to know that I can also make decisions that are best for my family and that is ok. For my students, I try to help them by letting them know that they always have someone on their side. Someone who is there to listen and help them in any way possible. We have many students who come from broken homes and are lost in the mix of things. I try to have “adult” conversations with them so they feel like they have a say in something in their life. I am honest with them and try to help guide them in a direction where they can be successful IF they take the opportunity in front of them. They can take any path in life they want if they are willing to work for it.
It sounds like your in-laws are much like mine. However, due to the toxic mess of my husband's family, we have not spoke with or had a relationship with them in almost 7 years. It is really sad, but when you have children, you will do everything possible to protect them and their emotional well-being. I really like your example of how you help your students. It's great to let them have a say in something!
A brick wall I face is not initially liking what I went to college for. I got a full scholarship for pre-med and being a doctor was all I ever dreamed of being for many years of my life. I used to intern in high school in hospitals in an advanced placement class for more experience and I thought I had everything figured out. A few months into it, I hated it. I had no life, I struggled to keep up with the extreme work load of homework every night in order to keep up with the intellect of the rest of the class the next day in class. This was when I met with one of my professors who helped me see the underlying connection between being a pediatrician... I wanted to be around kids. This was when I first took an education class and the rest is history! I privately meet with my students who as experiencing brick walls and we work on strategies to overcome them. Sometimes this is something we can do in the classroom to help, sometimes this is through a journal the student and I have together, or sometimes its a silent signal to show me they need a break or to speak with the counselor. I think that realizing your students individual brick walls is key in bridging their home and school life and making them feel most comfortable .
My daughter (a junior) is looking at colleges now and she is super stressed out because she thinks she has to have her career choice figured out already, and is afraid to pick the wrong major. I keep telling her that people change their minds all the time, so it's nice to hear about a real-life example that obviously worked out great!
I changed my major from aerospace engineering, to computer science, to history. After getting a degree in history, and coaching for a couple years, there was no doubt I wanted to teach. I fully understand the dilemma of finding your way.
A brick wall I have faced came right after college when I was first married and got pregnant. It was not the plan. I saw all of my girlfriends and my husband getting teaching jobs and becoming the professional we always dreamed about. I was home with a newborn and not on the path I envisioned for myself. I had baby number two 19 months later and was feeling stuck. My husband encouraged me to go to grad school but I was afraid. It would have been so much easier to just continue doing what I was doing, I could barely handle what I had on my plate as it was. However, I applied to Niagara and began the 2 year program in Special Ed. I got pregnant with our third child and there were days my husband walked in from school and I walked out. We lived in a tiny two bedroom house and I remember being hugely pregnant in my kids bedroom at midnight writing a paper in their closet because it was the only space we had for the computer desk. But, I did it and I graduated with honors and I got a job doing exactly what I love and was always meant to do. In my class I help my students with brick walls every day- their disabilities. Whether its learning to understand their bodies because of sensory issues or to ask for help when they don't understand. This is who they are and they will carry these brick walls with them for their entire lives so it's my job to help them understand themselves and to learn how to create strategies to be the best they can be.
I hit a brick wall my junior year in college. I was out having the time of my life during my second semester abroad in Spain when I was sharply reminded that I needed to choose an actual career path - that traveling and learning languages (with no job) wasn’t really going to get me a worthwhile degree. You see, I had set off to study Spanish but knew for a fact that I, in no way, wanted to become a teacher. If fact, teaching was the absolute last thing I wanted to do with my life. Until one of my professors reached out and told me how great she thought I would be at it. That’s all it took. One person who cared about me enough to reach out and let me know she believed in me. One person to offer me the encouragement and support I needed to change my mind completely. Don’t get me wrong, my parents were immensely supportive but they were as unable as I was to point me in a career direction. It’s funny, because as soon as I began teaching there was no way I could ever imagine doing anything else.
When my students hit their brick walls I do my best to offer them encouragement and support just like my professor did. Just letting them know that I believe in them and am on their side can often be enough to get them through their tough time. Even just being someone who will listen to them can make all the difference in the world.
It often times takes someone from the outside to tell us our strengths and talents. I can assure it was a great choice. We need to provide that same advice where we can.
That is such a great story, it truly does only take one person to make a positive impact. I think as teachers we have all had a person that cared and therefore we want to pay it forward so to speak. So glad you chose the profession :)
One brick wall in my life was when I got divorced 10 years ago. Everything else in life was going pretty much as planned, and then the bottom fell out from under me. I had an especially hard time as a teacher, because you have to be "on" all the time, even when you are in turmoil on the inside. You can't just go hide in a cubicle and pretend to work until you feel better. The students are still there, looking to you for guidance, every day. That was the hardest year of my life, and I still don't know how I managed to teach anything to that class. The thing that got me through it were focusing on my daughters. I did everything I could to make the impact on them as minimal as possible, so I stayed focused on that objective, which helped me to not constantly dwell on my own pain. Ideally, there are certain things each of us have (like family, for example) to help us stay grounded when the sh*t hits the fan, and if we can try to focus on the positive aspects of the things that are good in our lives, it helps us deal with the things that are not so good.
When my students hit a brick wall, I remind them how much they have grown since the beginning of the year, the things they have already overcome. I try to get them to look at the problem from a new perspective, to ask their peers for suggestions (we do class critique on every project), and to step outside their comfort zones. I have this hanging in my room as a reminder: https://www.travelinglifestyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/where-the-magic-happens.jpg
Out of college, I took a job as an operations manager for HIlls Department Stores. The job was ok as was the pay, but I could not fathom working the long hours and disruptive schedule and having a family. After working for a couple years and switching jobs a couple of times, I decided to go back to school to get my teaching certification. By my calculation it would take a year of classes and a semester for student teaching. I initially I hoped to get into UB as they had a one year program, but I didn’t decide until August and the program was full. When I showed up at Buffalo State to register for classes all of the classes I needed were full, my plan now looked like a two year plan. As I went to register for my second semester of classes, I found that the social studies department wasn’t offering a course I needed in order to graduate. I finally ended up talking to the chair of the math department, explained my predicament and asked if I could student teach in math if I took the required math courses. She took pity on me and called a friend at UB. She told me to leave Buffalo State and go over to UB and gave me the name of the person I needed to talk to. As it turned out, over the semester some students had dropped the program at UB and with the courses I had taken, they would let me into the program. So as it turned out, I was able to finish in one year. The lesson I share with students is one of thinking outside the box and of perseverance. When there is something worth having, it is something worth working for.
A brick wall that I have had to face was involuntarily having to change grade levels, twice, in 6 years. Because of the size of the grade level, a teacher had to be moved to a different grade. It ended up being me, twice. I was devastated both times. Feelings of being not good enough, why me, what did I do to deserve this....
To get over these brick walls, I just tried to make the best of each situation, learn as much as I could from the other teachers, delve into the curriculum, and tried to be a team player.
Those would be the same ways I would help my students overcome their brick walls...try to learn as much as they can, make the best of the situation, and be a good friend.
I originally entered college with the plan of majoring in music performance, right before my freshman year there were some health scares, which luckily came back all clear. However my brick wall came about halfway through my freshman year I had been playing and performing so much that I ended up developing tendinitis which started in my wrist. I was told by my doctor to lay off the playing or it could get worse, I of course was a stubborn 18 year old and I kept playing/performing because it was what I loved doing. By the end of my freshman year, the issue in my wrist had spread all the way up my arm and shoulder to the point where I couldn't hold my instrument anymore. I didn't want to give up on performing, so my college adviser had suggested going the teaching route instead, I could still perform but I wouldn't be required to perform as much. Looking back on it now, even though it was a painful journey, I am grateful I decided to become a teacher, I am still able to perform and I get to share my gift with my students, so it is win win.
I’ve faced many brick walls in my life. Some with other people and some with myself. Initially, I struggled with these brick walls, I had low confidence and self-esteem. I allowed outside criticism as well as my own internal criticism to weigh down on me. As I grew and matured, as well as my friends, I learned not to internalize the criticism but to grow from it. Once I learned to be less critical of myself and learned how to use others criticism I became a happier and more productive person. I help my students get over brick walls by building up their confidence and self-esteem. I celebrate all of their successes and make sure to let them know that I believe in them. I also communicate with them and ask them questions about how they feel and what they can and will do to solve or change their problems or troubles.
Sometimes we actually are our own worst critic. It sounds like you show great support for your students. When kids know we believe in them it shows in their efforts and ability to deal with their own challenges.
This is a challenging question for me to answer. I have been thinking about this one and clearly I am taking it too literally. I have seen many bricks in my life and definitely some partially built walls, but they have always had windows that I could see through. I am fortunate enough that I have always been able to see through the wall in one way or another. And this is a blessing. As I see it caving in on me, I try to look at all options and find a way around. I become motivated to not let the rest of the wall block me in. A major way that I am able to do this is by talking with friends and family. Communication and open-mindedness is so important in overcoming obstacles and hurdles. This is what I try to do with my students is listen and try to understand. When they are able to open up and communicate they are sometimes able to help themselves. Providing the support and encouragement is imperative to developing a relationship in which they can trust you enough to share and open up.
A brick wall that I have hit was not being hired as a teacher after many interviews, and years of substitute teaching. It was very discouraging. I left the field thinking if I let it rest for a while, I would get back into it with a fresh start. Years flew by. I had 2 children, and then realized I wanted to try again. My certification had since expired, so here I am working on my re-issuance of my initial certification! I am so excited to start teaching again. I feel that my experience as a mom, now to 3 boys, has helped prepare me and given me a great deal of confidence. I am ready to get back out there and try again. This time I will not back down!
A brick wall I hit was not achieving the desired outcome of an original career plan. Looking back,I could have pursued it further, taken an alternative route to achieve it,or sought out additional guidance. As I was already volunteering as a tutor in a community center, I realized I already enjoyed a potential career and pursued education and have loved it for many years. Encouraging kids to get over their walls is part of education. I advise them to take time and work through their challenges, get them the right people to assist them. Sometimes listening or checking in with them is support for them to handle things independently.
One of the major brick walls in my life was college. When I graduated high school, I went right to college. I was ill-prepared for the switch from a small school to a huge university, I was economically in a tough situation going to school full time and paying my bills, and I really had no idea what I wanted to get out of college. I ended up dropping out of the 1st two semesters and then leaving school. I got a second job, started to payback the money I wasted in college, and seriously reviewed where I was in life and what I wanted. After about a year, I got promoted in factory I was working, and I decided I needed to go back to college and start working towards something better. I chose to go at night, keep my day job, and do so at a community college. I was able to find my way, afford to live, and eventually find success. I am honest and share my journey with my students. I do so because I know that in today's world, its likely 3 out of 4 students I teach that go to school, are going to withdraw, dropout, get behind, and most certainly struggle in college. I want them to know that it happens, and it does not damn you, but makes you work harder and smarter. I want them to know what they want, and then know it is going to take work to get it, even pushing through some brick walls, some made by others, and some of their own construction.
According to Randy, brick walls are placed in our lives to show us how badly we want something. I have to agree with that. If something in life seems unattainable, most people would just settle for the status quo. I have always been a proponent for struggle. I think we get more out times of struggle than when things come easy. I share this with my students. And I share others' stories of their struggles too. I think that when young people realize that there are others who have experienced similar difficulties or perhaps they are in a worse situation than we may find ourselves, it may become easier to bear.
One of the brick walls that I have faced in my life is probably actually the slew of job interviews I have been on that have not resulted in anything. They take so much work to prepare for, they are nerve racking, and they are so defeating when they are over. I spent so much money going to school and getting certified, and I know in my bones that I am meant to be an art teacher. I hope that I can convince a school district of this some time soon, for more than a long term sub position. I love helping students with their brick walls. I think that as I get older, I have a very strong moral compass, and am very good at objectively looking at all sides of situations. I love to help students and athletes solve their problems whether it is an unfinished homework assignment, a fight with a best friend, or difficulty getting a stunt to hit. I there to listen and provide assistance.
One of my brick walls came three weeks into my freshman year at college when I lost my father. I was faced with the choice to change all the plans I had made to live 5 hours away from my family to prepare for my career or to come home and be near them at that time. It was hard but I stayed the course and came home on the weekends. If I hadn't have stayed I wouldn't have learned how to persevere on my own...and for that I am thankful. I think I help my students deal with brick walls by talking to them about what they feel is in their way and discussing with them what might help them knock down the wall bit by bit or boost them over it. For some kids it's making friends in the room, for some kids it's learning multiplication facts, some struggle with organization, bus issues, home life, etc., etc. Really, it's just about taking the time to talk to the students and help them figure out what might help them scale the wall.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad how kids struggle to make friends with others. Partially due to technology but also due to the fact that kids don’t have the social skills anymore. It makes me sad that they miss out on being adventurous and creative. I also feel like they are lacking in coping skills and how to express themselves.
DeleteWhat a difficult decision to have to make Molly. I'm glad that you see the benefits of staying the course.
DeleteA brick wall that I face is with my husbands family. They are very judgemental and they like to try and show love through gifts and then make you feel bad for not doing something to their expectation. He has a very strained relationship with them. I am a person who does not like confrontation and likes to please everyone so this is a very hard situation for me to deal with especially now that we have our daughter. In the big scheme of things, I have seen first hand what a toxic relationship can look like and do not want to expose my daughter to that. In a way, I feel like it has made me stronger for my daughter but also for myself to not let people walk over me. I have learned to set boundaries and to know that I can also make decisions that are best for my family and that is ok. For my students, I try to help them by letting them know that they always have someone on their side. Someone who is there to listen and help them in any way possible. We have many students who come from broken homes and are lost in the mix of things. I try to have “adult” conversations with them so they feel like they have a say in something in their life. I am honest with them and try to help guide them in a direction where they can be successful IF they take the opportunity in front of them. They can take any path in life they want if they are willing to work for it.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your in-laws are much like mine. However, due to the toxic mess of my husband's family, we have not spoke with or had a relationship with them in almost 7 years. It is really sad, but when you have children, you will do everything possible to protect them and their emotional well-being.
DeleteI really like your example of how you help your students. It's great to let them have a say in something!
A brick wall I face is not initially liking what I went to college for. I got a full scholarship for pre-med and being a doctor was all I ever dreamed of being for many years of my life. I used to intern in high school in hospitals in an advanced placement class for more experience and I thought I had everything figured out. A few months into it, I hated it. I had no life, I struggled to keep up with the extreme work load of homework every night in order to keep up with the intellect of the rest of the class the next day in class. This was when I met with one of my professors who helped me see the underlying connection between being a pediatrician... I wanted to be around kids. This was when I first took an education class and the rest is history! I privately meet with my students who as experiencing brick walls and we work on strategies to overcome them. Sometimes this is something we can do in the classroom to help, sometimes this is through a journal the student and I have together, or sometimes its a silent signal to show me they need a break or to speak with the counselor. I think that realizing your students individual brick walls is key in bridging their home and school life and making them feel most comfortable .
ReplyDeleteMy daughter (a junior) is looking at colleges now and she is super stressed out because she thinks she has to have her career choice figured out already, and is afraid to pick the wrong major. I keep telling her that people change their minds all the time, so it's nice to hear about a real-life example that obviously worked out great!
DeleteI changed my major from aerospace engineering, to computer science, to history. After getting a degree in history, and coaching for a couple years, there was no doubt I wanted to teach. I fully understand the dilemma of finding your way.
DeleteA brick wall I have faced came right after college when I was first married and got pregnant. It was not the plan. I saw all of my girlfriends and my husband getting teaching jobs and becoming the professional we always dreamed about. I was home with a newborn and not on the path I envisioned for myself. I had baby number two 19 months later and was feeling stuck. My husband encouraged me to go to grad school but I was afraid. It would have been so much easier to just continue doing what I was doing, I could barely handle what I had on my plate as it was. However, I applied to Niagara and began the 2 year program in Special Ed. I got pregnant with our third child and there were days my husband walked in from school and I walked out. We lived in a tiny two bedroom house and I remember being hugely pregnant in my kids bedroom at midnight writing a paper in their closet because it was the only space we had for the computer desk. But, I did it and I graduated with honors and I got a job doing exactly what I love and was always meant to do. In my class I help my students with brick walls every day- their disabilities. Whether its learning to understand their bodies because of sensory issues or to ask for help when they don't understand. This is who they are and they will carry these brick walls with them for their entire lives so it's my job to help them understand themselves and to learn how to create strategies to be the best they can be.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, Alicia! You are AMAZING!! Grad school and having kids are hard enough on their own, I can't imagine doing it all at the same time!
DeleteI agree Jessica, very inspirational, Alicia!
DeleteI hit a brick wall my junior year in college. I was out having the time of my life during my second semester abroad in Spain when I was sharply reminded that I needed to choose an actual career path - that traveling and learning languages (with no job) wasn’t really going to get me a worthwhile degree. You see, I had set off to study Spanish but knew for a fact that I, in no way, wanted to become a teacher. If fact, teaching was the absolute last thing I wanted to do with my life. Until one of my professors reached out and told me how great she thought I would be at it. That’s all it took. One person who cared about me enough to reach out and let me know she believed in me. One person to offer me the encouragement and support I needed to change my mind completely. Don’t get me wrong, my parents were immensely supportive but they were as unable as I was to point me in a career direction. It’s funny, because as soon as I began teaching there was no way I could ever imagine doing anything else.
ReplyDeleteWhen my students hit their brick walls I do my best to offer them encouragement and support just like my professor did. Just letting them know that I believe in them and am on their side can often be enough to get them through their tough time. Even just being someone who will listen to them can make all the difference in the world.
It often times takes someone from the outside to tell us our strengths and talents. I can assure it was a great choice. We need to provide that same advice where we can.
DeleteThanks Troy!
DeleteThat is such a great story, it truly does only take one person to make a positive impact. I think as teachers we have all had a person that cared and therefore we want to pay it forward so to speak. So glad you chose the profession :)
DeleteOne brick wall in my life was when I got divorced 10 years ago. Everything else in life was going pretty much as planned, and then the bottom fell out from under me. I had an especially hard time as a teacher, because you have to be "on" all the time, even when you are in turmoil on the inside. You can't just go hide in a cubicle and pretend to work until you feel better. The students are still there, looking to you for guidance, every day. That was the hardest year of my life, and I still don't know how I managed to teach anything to that class. The thing that got me through it were focusing on my daughters. I did everything I could to make the impact on them as minimal as possible, so I stayed focused on that objective, which helped me to not constantly dwell on my own pain. Ideally, there are certain things each of us have (like family, for example) to help us stay grounded when the sh*t hits the fan, and if we can try to focus on the positive aspects of the things that are good in our lives, it helps us deal with the things that are not so good.
ReplyDeleteWhen my students hit a brick wall, I remind them how much they have grown since the beginning of the year, the things they have already overcome. I try to get them to look at the problem from a new perspective, to ask their peers for suggestions (we do class critique on every project), and to step outside their comfort zones. I have this hanging in my room as a reminder: https://www.travelinglifestyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/where-the-magic-happens.jpg
Out of college, I took a job as an operations manager for HIlls Department Stores. The job was ok as was the pay, but I could not fathom working the long hours and disruptive schedule and having a family. After working for a couple years and switching jobs a couple of times, I decided to go back to school to get my teaching certification. By my calculation it would take a year of classes and a semester for student teaching. I initially I hoped to get into UB as they had a one year program, but I didn’t decide until August and the program was full. When I showed up at Buffalo State to register for classes all of the classes I needed were full, my plan now looked like a two year plan. As I went to register for my second semester of classes, I found that the social studies department wasn’t offering a course I needed in order to graduate. I finally ended up talking to the chair of the math department, explained my predicament and asked if I could student teach in math if I took the required math courses. She took pity on me and called a friend at UB. She told me to leave Buffalo State and go over to UB and gave me the name of the person I needed to talk to. As it turned out, over the semester some students had dropped the program at UB and with the courses I had taken, they would let me into the program. So as it turned out, I was able to finish in one year. The lesson I share with students is one of thinking outside the box and of perseverance. When there is something worth having, it is something worth working for.
ReplyDeleteA brick wall that I have had to face was involuntarily having to change grade levels, twice, in 6 years. Because of the size of the grade level, a teacher had to be moved to a different grade. It ended up being me, twice. I was devastated both times. Feelings of being not good enough, why me, what did I do to deserve this....
ReplyDeleteTo get over these brick walls, I just tried to make the best of each situation, learn as much as I could from the other teachers, delve into the curriculum, and tried to be a team player.
Those would be the same ways I would help my students overcome their brick walls...try to learn as much as they can, make the best of the situation, and be a good friend.
I originally entered college with the plan of majoring in music performance, right before my freshman year there were some health scares, which luckily came back all clear. However my brick wall came about halfway through my freshman year I had been playing and performing so much that I ended up developing tendinitis which started in my wrist. I was told by my doctor to lay off the playing or it could get worse, I of course was a stubborn 18 year old and I kept playing/performing because it was what I loved doing. By the end of my freshman year, the issue in my wrist had spread all the way up my arm and shoulder to the point where I couldn't hold my instrument anymore. I didn't want to give up on performing, so my college adviser had suggested going the teaching route instead, I could still perform but I wouldn't be required to perform as much. Looking back on it now, even though it was a painful journey, I am grateful I decided to become a teacher, I am still able to perform and I get to share my gift with my students, so it is win win.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard when we are young and have a passion to understand that we have to take it easy. Music education is an excellent outcome.
ReplyDeleteI’ve faced many brick walls in my life. Some with other people and some with myself. Initially, I struggled with these brick walls, I had low confidence and self-esteem. I allowed outside criticism as well as my own internal criticism to weigh down on me. As I grew and matured, as well as my friends, I learned not to internalize the criticism but to grow from it. Once I learned to be less critical of myself and learned how to use others criticism I became a happier and more productive person. I help my students get over brick walls by building up their confidence and self-esteem. I celebrate all of their successes and make sure to let them know that I believe in them. I also communicate with them and ask them questions about how they feel and what they can and will do to solve or change their problems or troubles.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we actually are our own worst critic. It sounds like you show great support for your students. When kids know we believe in them it shows in their efforts and ability to deal with their own challenges.
DeleteThis is a challenging question for me to answer. I have been thinking about this one and clearly I am taking it too literally. I have seen many bricks in my life and definitely some partially built walls, but they have always had windows that I could see through. I am fortunate enough that I have always been able to see through the wall in one way or another. And this is a blessing. As I see it caving in on me, I try to look at all options and find a way around. I become motivated to not let the rest of the wall block me in. A major way that I am able to do this is by talking with friends and family. Communication and open-mindedness is so important in overcoming obstacles and hurdles. This is what I try to do with my students is listen and try to understand. When they are able to open up and communicate they are sometimes able to help themselves. Providing the support and encouragement is imperative to developing a relationship in which they can trust you enough to share and open up.
ReplyDeleteA brick wall that I have hit was not being hired as a teacher after many interviews, and years of substitute teaching. It was very discouraging. I left the field thinking if I let it rest for a while, I would get back into it with a fresh start. Years flew by. I had 2 children, and then realized I wanted to try again. My certification had since expired, so here I am working on my re-issuance of my initial certification! I am so excited to start teaching again. I feel that my experience as a mom, now to 3 boys, has helped prepare me and given me a great deal of confidence. I am ready to get back out there and try again. This time I will not back down!
ReplyDeleteA brick wall I hit was not achieving the desired outcome of an original career plan. Looking back,I could have pursued it further, taken an alternative route to achieve it,or sought out additional guidance. As I was already volunteering as a tutor in a community center, I realized I already enjoyed a potential career and pursued education and have loved it for many years. Encouraging kids to get over their walls is part of education. I advise them to take time and work through their challenges, get them the right people to assist them. Sometimes listening or checking in with them is support for them to handle things independently.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major brick walls in my life was college. When I graduated high school, I went right to college. I was ill-prepared for the switch from a small school to a huge university, I was economically in a tough situation going to school full time and paying my bills, and I really had no idea what I wanted to get out of college. I ended up dropping out of the 1st two semesters and then leaving school. I got a second job, started to payback the money I wasted in college, and seriously reviewed where I was in life and what I wanted. After about a year, I got promoted in factory I was working, and I decided I needed to go back to college and start working towards something better. I chose to go at night, keep my day job, and do so at a community college. I was able to find my way, afford to live, and eventually find success. I am honest and share my journey with my students. I do so because I know that in today's world, its likely 3 out of 4 students I teach that go to school, are going to withdraw, dropout, get behind, and most certainly struggle in college. I want them to know that it happens, and it does not damn you, but makes you work harder and smarter. I want them to know what they want, and then know it is going to take work to get it, even pushing through some brick walls, some made by others, and some of their own construction.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Randy, brick walls are placed in our lives to show us how badly we want something. I have to agree with that. If something in life seems unattainable, most people would just settle for the status quo. I have always been a proponent for struggle. I think we get more out times of struggle than when things come easy. I share this with my students. And I share others' stories of their struggles too. I think that when young people realize that there are others who have experienced similar difficulties or perhaps they are in a worse situation than we may find ourselves, it may become easier to bear.
ReplyDeleteOne of the brick walls that I have faced in my life is probably actually the slew of job interviews I have been on that have not resulted in anything. They take so much work to prepare for, they are nerve racking, and they are so defeating when they are over. I spent so much money going to school and getting certified, and I know in my bones that I am meant to be an art teacher. I hope that I can convince a school district of this some time soon, for more than a long term sub position.
ReplyDeleteI love helping students with their brick walls. I think that as I get older, I have a very strong moral compass, and am very good at objectively looking at all sides of situations. I love to help students and athletes solve their problems whether it is an unfinished homework assignment, a fight with a best friend, or difficulty getting a stunt to hit. I there to listen and provide assistance.