my heart breaks....

So as a school teacher you have this love for every child that enters your classroom right? I come across kids who I know and can see come from a good home, and on the other hand I see and know children who come from not so good of homes. It honestly breaks my heart, but for many of reasons.
The first one being how unfair life is to those children. At that age of an elementary student I never had to deal with the things my students are having to deal with...parents committing suicide, doing drugs, living in a home with no heat...etc. It makes me Miss. Riley all the more grateful for the things I was given, and still receiving as a child to my mom and dad. But I guess you do not know any better than what you have, and that is me just judging the student. To clarify, I am not judging any student I am just amazed at how they grow up and deal with so many big and hard things at such a young age, because they know, no better than what they have.
The second and last is I just hope that they can grow up from what they have had to deal with and be a better person, and choose not to live that way. Not that their lives are bad but that they will go to college, get a degree and live a fulfilling life. That is what every hope a teacher has for his or her students.

Another thing that I have observed is the innocence of a fourth grader. I just want to pick them up hold them forever, letting them know it will be ok. I can remember being in jr. high and all of the drama, sex talk, bad words, and mean people. And I know that this age of this talk and stuff is getting younger and younger. WHY?

One of my teacher's students from a couple of years ago walked up to her the other day. This sweet looking boy, with big cheeks, big blue eyes, and a big belly. :) She proceeded to ask him if he was excited for jr. high. he simply said no. As I starred at him as a by stander, I began to tear up, and eventually I walked away. I thought about all of the hard things this child was going to have to endure, and hopefully make it out in one piece, still being this sweet boy he is. How do children do it? Why are they so resilient? How do they continue on in this crazy world of ours?



As I sit here and cry writing out all of my feelings from this past week, I just try to remember why I chose to be a teacher and that was because I love children...
After all it takes a special love to be a teacher.



Miss. Riley