During the idealistic years of college, every Education major is out to save the world. Nearly every one of them has an intense love and burden for children and that’s exactly why they’re going into the profession. But for some of us, it doesn’t take very long into the first year of teaching for all of that to go out the window. In my college days, I took a vow that if I was ever teaching for the paycheck rather than for the kids, I would quit. And there were several days throughout the first year when I was considering quitting precisely for that reason. That line between a paycheck and the kids becomes very blurred very quickly, especially during the first year.

But every time I drive to Coopersburg, I drive through the ghetto neighborhoods of the kids that I teach. And every time I do, I nearly get into several accidents because I am looking back and forth, everywhere but the road, in hopes of seeing some of my students.

Today I was sitting at a red light and saw two boys at the corner of the intersection. One was a student I had this past year and the other was a wacky eighth grader who talked (in his loud, boisterous voice) to every teacher in the building whether he was in their class or not, alll of which was made even more funny by his Spanglish and thick accent. So, sitting at the light, I yelled their names out of my window. Their faces lit up, the first boy pointed and yelled “Maestro!” and they came running into the middle of the street to my car to greet me. The first boy shook my hand and I said, “Como esta tu verano?” “Bien.” The second boy shook my hand too, and with his huge grin and thick accent said, “Hey mister! How you doin?!? Long time no see! What’s goin on?!?” I told them to take care of themselves, the light turned green, and I smiled the whole way home.

So, if seeing these little brats in the middle of my summer fills me with this much joy, I’m hoping that’s some indication that I’m still in this for the right reasons.