Anticipation

The entire time I was reading the first section, my eyes were welling up with tears. No matter how many times I hear stories like these teachers, stories of their troubled students, I will never get used to it. I grew up in what's considered a village right outside of small town. I went to small school of barely 200 students (at the time). There wasn't a lot of diversity, and everyone knew and, for the most part, got a long with each other. Just like the student in entry 16, there are a lot things I have never faced, and as a teacher it is something that will challenge me in my career. When we talk about diverse school systems I often wonder what it would be like teaching there since it is something I never experienced. And those feelings of anticipation and worry of what may happen help me to empathize with some of the feelings of the Freedom Writer Teachers. What should I expect? What if things don't go as planned? What if I get asked questions that make uncomfortable (like in entry 17, sex education.)? Like any human, I have doubts, worries. But a book like this gives one hope. This goes to show that we are not alone in this-- everyone shares these feelings at one point or another. And if something doesn't work, pick yourself up and try again. Afterall, it's easier to remember why we're here, as it's clear in every teacher's entry. We are here for our students, and to be the best we can in order to help them succeed. And that is all that really matters in the end.