petty thieves or excelling students?

Teacher in-service has been chugging along, kids and parents have also been coming up to the school to pick up their uniforms.

On the first day scheduled for uniform pick up, there were a lot of people that came up to the school.

There were also a lot of teacher cell phones stolen, 3 to be exact.

Yes, you heard me right. Teachers' belongings were stolen by families that attend our school.

My mind went through so many different emotions.

Really...

Did that really just happen?

Why?

How could anyone do something like that?

Especially to people that are committed to bettering the lives of those that attend.


One thing that I have come to learn though is that the circumstances of a person's life dictate so much of what their future will entail. Can this behavior really be blamed if it is all they know?

One way to correct it? EMPOWER the children. Show them that their life has value. Give them an education. Encourage them to dream and to set goals above the realities that they know. And press them. Set that bar so high. Let them know that it will take a lot of hard work. But let them know that they have the abilities to accomplish it.

I read that if a teacher is told that a child is gifted, she will instruct in a manner that forces the student to improve that much more, (even if the information given to them is false) and the student will succeed. Meaning, all students, regardless of background, have great potential if someone is willing to say, "yes! you can do it and I will make sure that you do!"

Therefore, I cannot wait to introduce you to my class of 16 gifted and talented students who will flourish this school year and accomplish more than they ever thought they would- because they will not be treated as the people they are and the unfortunate circumstances they are in but as those that I know they have the potential to become.