Something I didn't expect when I began student teaching was how quickly I would bond with the students. It's enthralling how I can look at the students and see so much potential in them (even the so called "bad apples"). My cooperating teacher let me form my own opinions of the students the first week, then I asked for some helpful input. It's amazing what some of the kids go through and how they can even make it to school, let alone do their work.

One student, we will call him Johnny, has a really hard life. He lives in an RV with his mom and his mom's boyfriend. Johnny sleeps on the floor of this RV. They have less than nothing. He has been put in foster care before, but he ended back up with him mom. Johnny is in the college credit course. His work is always on time, and although he is quiet, he turns in great work.

Another student, "Anne", is 17 and has a child. Her father is in jail and her mother died right before Christmas of a drug overdose. She is bounced from relatives houses constantly. She's not the most outgoing girl, but can you imagine? At 17, I couldn't imagine getting out of bed in the morning.

"Paula" is a great writer. Her papers are amazing. She uses great word choices and can pick up on symbolism in a story easily and well. She is extremely insightful. She doesn't come from an educated family, though. She's quiet in class, and has some severe anxiety problems if you make her talk in class. I know with the right push, she could do great in life. If no one pushes her though, I could see her becoming the manager of Dairy Queen and working there the rest of her life.

Their are so many of these kids that deal with things that I couldn't imagine going through personally. They quickly became real people to me, and not just "another student". I know that I will never be able to reach all of these kids, but I hope that through my teaching career, I can help some of them get on the right track.

I'm also surprised at how friendly they all are and how well they all listen. I was teaching one of my first lessons today, and some of the boys in the back of 8th period started to talk. One of the girls in class looked at them and said, "Hey! Pay attention to her! She's teaching!" I looked at them and told the boys with a straight face, "Don't mess with me, I have back-up" , which they kind of giggled at, but they did pay attention to me.

I can't wait until I get to know my students better. I'm ecstatic about becoming a teacher. I worried for awhile if it was the right choice for me, but I can tell through my experiences that I'm going to love it. I couldn't see myself do anything else.