G A I L G O E P F E R T
  • WHAT'S NEW
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Books
  • Book Reviews
  • Poems
  • Gallery
  • Appearances
  • Blog
  • Featured
  • Tutoring

Teacher-ed

4/5/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

I know I am guilty of "ecstatic gratitude" at times, and today is one of those times. Now 27, this guy, whom I met when he was 12 and who had just arrived in the United States after having been separated from his mom since he was 6 years old, contacted me yesterday to get together. When he came to the U.S., he was in classes all taught in English, and he knew none, so he was often sent to the media center (where I spent the last 6 years of my middle school teaching career) to "hang out." He brought a smile and a bit of mischief whenever he walked through the door. He remembers that the first book I read him in English was David Goes to School by David Shannon!!! When he graduated from eighth grade, I made him an award that said "Best Smile in the Whole Wide World." Obviously the smile hasn't gone away.

We've seen each other off and on over the years; I've tried to help him get into college. He is an AMAZING guy, AMAZING and VERY SPECIAL, (so much wisdom for so few years on the planet) and several times tears just streamed from my eyes today while he talked. He's worked his way from McDonald's worker to manager to a warehouse job and now to the engineering department of a company. He's managed to go to school at COD on his lunch hour, start his own DJ business, get his own place, buy a car for transporting his equipment, and he has a plan for becoming the "boss" of this DJ business down the road with a specific timeline in mind, but he won't just be hiring other DJs--but teaching them how to do a good job.
​
Since I saw him a year ago, he's been working on his English at my urging so he can communicate better in his current and future roles. He uses vocabularly .com when he looks up a word he doesn't know and encounters a word that's part of the definition that is unfamiliar; he practices public speaking/English by recording himself on his phone and listening to it back. He's studying adjectives right now so he can be more specific in his writing course, writing five sentences using the adjective to reinforce its meaning and its usage. He has a book and a bookstand at his work desk so he can read when he has extra time; he plans to read at least five books this year not in his comfort zone. He prefers to hang around "older" adults at times because they are wise and have things to teach him. He has role models, and he credits his grandfather and uncle in Mexico for planting the seed about how important education is. He is a teacher's dream!
"You can always make more of yourself." I don't know another person who has made better use of his time and been more motivated to succeed than Carlos. He has hit some bumps in the road, but he is single-minded. I could not be more proud to have been his teacher. He is why I love teaching. Forgive my effusiveness. I can't help myself. Lucky lucky me. I'm pretty sure that when he has thanked me over and over again these past 15 years that it is I who should be thanking him.

0 Comments

    Archives

    March 2021
    July 2019
    February 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017


    The Revival Tour
    Poet Bloggers 2018


    Kelli Russell Agodon- 
    http://ofkells.blogspot.com/   

    Donna Vorreyer – https://djvorreyer.wordpress.com  
    Beth Adams – http://www.cassandrapages.com
    Sandra Beasley – http://sbeasley.blogspot.com
    Carolee Bennett – https://gooduniversenextdoor.com/
    Mary Biddinger – wordcage.blogspot.com/ 
    Andrea Blythe – http://www.andreablythe.com
    Dave Bonta –  http://vianegativa.us
    Jim Brock -- 
    http://picturesthatgotsmall.blogspot.com 

    James Brush 
    http://coyotemercury.com

    Angela T Carr   
    https://angelatcarr.wordpress.com/

    Grant Clauser
     http://www.uniambic.com

    Kevin Connor – https://ordinaryaveragethoughts.wordpress.com/
    Jared Conti –  http://www.theoracularbeard.com 
    Jill Crammond  
     https://jillypoet.wordpress.com/  
    Jenelle D’Alessandro – http://www.borderandgreetme.com
    Laura E. Davis – http://www.dearouterspace.com/
    Kate Debolt – http://www.katedebolt.net/blog/
    Heather Derr-Smith – ferhext.com/   
    Risa Denenberg – https://risadenenberg.weebly.com/blog
    Cynthia Schwartzberg Edlow  http://cschwartzbergedlow.blogspot.com
    Andrew Eickstead
     http://www.unleashingthewordhoard.com 

    Lou Faber – https://anoldwriter.com
    Jeannine Hall Gailey  – webbish6.com 
    Gail Goepfert –In the Mix gailgoepfert..com/blog​
    Erica Goss
     http://ericagoss.com

    Sarah Kain Gutowski – mimsyandoutgrabe.blogspot.com
    Erin Hollowell – http://www.beingpoetry.net . T
    Trish Hopkinson 
     
    https://trishhopkinson.com/

    Jennifer Hudgens 
     
    https://jenniferelhudgens.wordpress.com

    Catherine Hume
    : https://catherinehume.wordpress.com/
    Crystal Ignatowski – http://somehiatus.tumblr.com/
    Charles Jensen – https://charles-jensen.com/kinemapoetics-blog/
    JJS  https://thisembodiedcondition.wordpress.com
    Jill McCabe Johnson  http://jillmccabejohnson.com/blog-chanson-daventure.html
    Collin Kelley  http://www.collinkelley.blogspot.com
    Kathleen Kirk
     https://kathleenkirkpoetry.blogspot.com/

    Anita Olivia Koester  https://www.forkandpage.com/
    Lakshmi – thiswinterheart.tumblr.com 
    Courtney LeBlanc – wordperv.com   
    Lorena P Matejowsky   https://nothingbutblueskies.wordpress.com/  
    Marilyn McCabe O
    Write.MarilynonaRoll.wordpress.com

    Ann Michael – www.annemichael.wordpress.com
    Amy Miller – http://writers-island.blogspot.com/
    James Moore – jameswmoore.wordpress.com
    LouAnn Sheperd Muhm – https://louannmuhm.com/
    January
    Gill O’Neill  – 
    http://poetmom.blogspot.com
    Shawnte Orion  http://batteredhive.blogspot.com/
    Ren Powell 
    http://renpowell.com/blog/

    Bethany Reid 
    http://www.bethanyareid.com/

    Susan Rich – http://thealchemistskitchen.blogspot.com .
    Lee Ann Roripaugh https://runningbrush.wordpress.com/
    Sarah Russell – https://sarahrussellpoetry.net
    Martha Silano
    : http://bluepositive.blogspot.com/
    Kim Bailey Spradlin – www.kimbaileydeal.net
    Bonnie Staiger –https://bonniestaiger.com/
    Rosemary Starace https://thresholdview.wordpress.com/
    Hannah Stephenson – http://thestorialist.com
    Stephanie Lane Sutton 
    athenasleepsin.wordpress.com

    Christine Swint –  https://balancedonedge.blog/
    Dylan Tweney – http://dylan20.tumblr.com/
    Michael Allyn Wells: 
    http://stickpoetsuperhero.blogspot.com/

    Allyson Whipple  http://allysonmwhipple.com
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • WHAT'S NEW
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Books
  • Book Reviews
  • Poems
  • Gallery
  • Appearances
  • Blog
  • Featured
  • Tutoring