Old Students, New Friends

I've only been a teacher for a few years, beginning my career shortly after finishing college. Hence, I have only a few years, but usually a lot of experience on my students. I have to say, I love teaching, imparting knowledge and skills to a group of diverse youth, but my favourite thing is mentoring. Teachers work with large groups of students of all different backgrounds and experiences. Mentoring happens when you find a few young people who seem to share your heart, or to whom you give a piece of yours. In mentoring you let your guard down and let them see you as people, and you realize that the most inspiring part of your life is that you are human and you care. Mentoring isn't about having something specific to give, it's about giving what you have, it's about being present, being available.

I saw some of my old students a few days ago. They both graduated from high school this year. One has a young daughter, the other is getting ready to go to college in Delaware. Embarrasingly enough, these two young men saw me walking the mall in a mid-riff revealing tube top and very short shorts. Though I'm used to my students seeing me in more professional attire, they finally got to see me as a person. As I looked on them, I saw them too, not just as two young boys trying to make it through finals, but as two young men, with families, with opportunities, with futures looming before them, and I was filled with honor that I got to be even a small part of that.

When you see your students fumbling through research papers and mixing up verb tenses it's easy to think you know more than them, but when you see them face to face, and you get to hear about their goals and dreams, their ambitions and their accomplishments, you meet them on more even territory. You remember loads of things you want to tell them about mistakes you've made and choices they'll have to face. You remember the dreams and goals you have, one's you've come to let go of, and ones you've already accomplished. You remember yourself and see how far you've come, what has helped and hindered you, and how far you still have to go. You step back and see where you are on the journey of life, and in that process, you're humbled and you find that your students have in a way mentored you.

Good luck Graduates of 2008 in all you set out to do!