Jackie is our next writer, one of my favourite hometown
heroines. Jackie and I share a passion for
teaching and shared further little pieces of solace about our chosen profession.
To be honest, I wish I could be a student in her classroom before I have my
own; there is so much to learn from this smart, driven girl. Full of love,
energy, adventure, compassion and destined for success, Jac is one of those
people you don’t have to worry about; she’s gonna figure it out. You’re going
to know she’s going to find success in the future, in her own way, to affect
hundreds of bright, young and sharp minds like hers. She’s also one of the
biggest supporters of this project and has plans to write several MOGs… I
couldn’t ask for a more fitting contributor, as Jackie embodies the whole idea
of this effort to acknowledge gratitude everyday. Also I call her Jacyonce... she's just super fierce. Thanks for writing, girl!!
Currently, I am living my dream at my dream school for
teachers college (which was a major goal in itself), having the opportunity to
witness MOG’s on a daily basis.
This past semester I was placed in a grade 3 class at a
school in Burlington. I had the most amazing experience, especially because of
one particular student in my class (who will now be referred to as Mr. Z). Mr.
Z came into our class in September as a very shy, somewhat passive aggressive
student, who seemed to stick to himself. Once Mr. Z became comfortable in our
classroom, he was able to open up about his family and living situations, which
were by no means great, and started to build relationships with both the
students and myself. I learned a lot about the realities of children’s lives,
and began to realize how privileged I was. Not only did I have the opportunity to
go home to a real home with food and water, but also I had a family, a strong
family, that would support me no matter what.
One cold December day, Mr. Z came up to me while I was
outside on morning duty with a very upset look on his face. We talked quite a
lot, and I knew that he thought of me as a trustworthy adult, so I asked him
what was wrong. Mr. Z explained to me that he was no longer excited for his
birthday the next day because his mom told him that they couldn’t afford a
cake. He was quite upset, and it truly broke my heart. I have worked with kids
for the past 6 years and have witnessed various situations, but for some reason
I couldn’t stop thinking about this. When I told my teacher she agreed that it
was upsetting but reminded me that for birthdays students got a small treat bag
and a card from the class. However, I knew this wasn’t enough, not for a
special kid like Mr. Z who came to school as his safe place.
That night, I went home and told my mom what I was planning
on doing, and she almost cried. I haven’t seen my mom cry too many times in my
life. The next day at lunchtime
I asked Mr. Z to come to the back room with me. I then asked him to close his
eyes, while I secretly (and excitedly), placed a delicious homemade chocolate
cupcake onto his hand. His reaction...priceless.
It is moments like these that remind me why I not only want
to be a teacher, but also that life gives us so many opportunities to do great
things. For me, it was such an easy thing to pack an extra cupcake in my lunch,
but for him, it was life changing. He told me that it was his best birthday
yet, and gave me the biggest hug I could ask for.
For now, I will continue to remember about Mr. Z and his
cupcake, and I know that the teachers at my school will remember it too. We
need to always remember that it’s the little things in life, like a delicious
chocolate cupcake, that keep us going and not to stress so much on the little
things.
With love,
Jackie
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