My Success Story

I have found many flaws in myself and my attempts to be an educator, but I have also seen some positive effects of my being at Simmons High School. Probably one of the successes that I am most proud of deals with one of my slower students.
During the 1st 9 wks, Zach was unsuccessful in my English III class. He wasn't a classroom management problem, he just refused to do any work. He sat there everyday and either slept or stared into space. While I can't attribute his change in behavior to anything that I have personally done, I like to think that maybe I affected him in some way (even if it was just a little bit).
Although he failed miserably the 1st 9 wks, Zach has started to attempt every assignment. The other day, I read one of his journal assignments. He clearly needs a lot of help with grammar, but I was excited because he had put forth the effort. I wrote a note on his paper letting him know how proud I was, and that I felt that he could and would be successful if he continued to believe in himself. I look forward to seeing what happens to him because he's the type of student that I am here for. It's easy to teach and motivate the smartest kids and hardest workers, but I want to reach those that others haven't quite been able to reach. I can't promise anything, but we'll see what happens.