Peach Pact Journal-

3^rd day of teaching (7/27/15):

            I participated as a teacher at Peach last year as well so I had no new initial preconceptions. However, it is always a different experience when new students are involved. Both years that I have been a teacher, I have been surprised by my own emotional reactions to seemingly inconsequential actions. The other day, one of my extremely shy students began to participate in class. The first day I met her, she was extremely critical of her own intelligence, especially of her “limited” knowledge of English. However, with some gentle coaxing, she began to participate and become an active member of the class. It was impossible to ignore how smart she was and I was so extremely grateful that she trusted me enough to allow me to see her true potential. Since the first day, we have been practicing “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz for the talent show at the end of the summer camp. My students were struggling with tempo and the pronunciation of the more difficult words like “intervention”. But today, they sang it perfectly! It was extremely moving and after the song, the kids all cheered and could not stop smiling. Each year, I am awed by these extraordinary kids. I realize how little they have and yet they treasure the privilege of learning above everything else. Last year, I did not realize how much of an impact I had on these kids until the last day when even the “coolest” boys started crying. I am amazed by these kids and am so proud that they have been able to endure such hard times and still strive to improve themselves with smiles on their faces. This is an extremely rewarding experience that I cannot wait to participate in again next year!