"If something good happens, travel to celebrate, if something bad happens, travel to forget, if nothing happens, travel to make something happen." I remember reading this quote and I must say that I have not found the author, but it has become so popular, that lots of people have used it recently. This is something that I would like my students to think about, even though the school where I work at has a high number of economically disadvantaged students.
Teaching in Texas has been a blessing and a challenge. I will admit that this has not been a piece of cake, but at the same time, I know I'll never regret taking this job. I know that there is nothing else that I would rather work on. Yes, I do enjoy traveling and the opportunity to be with friends and family on Christmas and most summers, but at the same time, not working on what I hope will contribute to a better tomorrow, at least for my kids, would make me feel useless.
This is the picture of a drawing that was given to me at "Valle del Mirador" library in Monterrey, Mexico. These were the first kids that I ever tutored. While this was not formally teaching, it was at least a huge rehearsal. I used to complain about the fact that my high school required us to do social work. If it had not been for them, I would probably be just a number working to make someone else richer.
While teaching does not make any company rich, I'm hoping that some of my students will make the right choice in order to get paid for doing what they like. While guiding them on a path to make them rich or at least middle class is not a promise to happiness, at least they would not have to worry about making ends meet. As this is barely my third year teaching, it will be a long time before I see if I actually made a difference, but as long as I continue to see learning taking place, I strongly believe that I'm steering those kids in the right path.
While I'm happy to announce that Fairbanks, Alaska is less than a month away, New Orleans less than two months away, and Europe (Paris and London) are four months away, I'm also happy when a smart or gifted student tells me that he or she is fixing to go to college, even if their parents told them "we don't have any money."
