Trial By Fire

So if you don't know, I mentioned I was volunteering once a week at an elementary school with my old teacher. So today was my second time going and it was super fun....you know how people say sometimes, the only way you can really learn something is by doing it...to be thrown into the fire and survive with no training or whatever. That's kinda what happened to me today...my teacher told me last week he would eventually let me lead some lessons and teach the class a bit, but we would sit down and prep some stuff for me to teach. Today...he was just like yeah...I know I didn't give you a heads up, but you're gonna be leading some discussions today LOL. It was kinda nerve-racking, but cool...like I wasn't freaking out, but it was like an oh okay, true...kinda feeling. I'm kinda used to being in front of crowds and kids...so I've grown to  be pretty comfortable. First period was gym...he let me pretty much lead the whole class cuz I've done coaching and such with him before...so that was real fun, to get warmed up for the rest of the day. After that we had geography, where they just copied down some notes...then math class...he ave me some worksheets they were going to be doing and pretty much I went through it with them for a good 15-20 minutes and made sure I was available if they needed any questions. BUT FIRST...last week I told y'all he mentioned that I rapped dto the whole class LOL....today, he reminded them...and long story short...after a whole lot of back and forth...I ended up rapping in front of them LOL...legit I don't know what made me do it or how I mustered up the courage to do so...but I just did it lol, I'm glad I didn't forget my lyrics. So that was a cool experience lol. What else happened throughout the day...well he took me to the teacher's lounge and they have something called 'fat fridays' where teachers just bring it dishes like a potluck...moreso desserts and cakes and cookies and snacks and such and leave it in the teachers lounge for you to go whenever you want and grab snacks. So it was super awkward walking in at first cuz I felt so out of place LOL....all the teachers were there chilling at the tables and it was legit 90% female teachers and I mentioned it was a new school, so the majority of them were super young. One thing I'm gonna mention...not to boast, but cuz it meant a lot to me...was when the kids were working...my teacher, who I've known for over 10 years and we're really good friends...he was like wow man....your rap was really good. He said...anyone can rap....but your lyrics were meaningful...and that's real cool, to see how much you've grown from that kid in grade 7. That meant so much to me...and we just talked a bit more about my lyrics and such and how and why him and I bonded so well. Last class of the day was english...and it was a hella memorable way to end the day...the kids were working on some assignment and one by one came out to do this reading test where they would read a couple paragraphs and my teacher would assess their reading levels and stuff. He did some, then showed me and I got to do some while he was there to help me out in case I messed up. Last student of the day, he mentions she may have trouble reading cuz english isn't her first language and she's only been in Canada for a month. This girl reads FLAWLESSLY...like it was a bit slow cuz she had to digest the words and stuff...she had a tiny bit of trouble pronouncing the tougher words, but she blew us away because from what my teacher told me, we weren't expecting that. My teacher goes off and goes wow...that was amazing, for someone who's still learning english, that was amazing. I'm glad you're in my class cuz you're a really good person and I hope you continue to grow and to learn and to read and such. This girl has tears of joy in her eyes and she's like smiling so hard and my teacher starts tearing up too and I won't lie I got mad emotional seeing how genuinely happy she was. After she left...my teacher looks at me and goes...as much as I and the other teachers joke to you about how you shouldn't become a teacher...if you live and love moments like that...if that kinda stuff brings you joy,go and become a teacher...don't do it for the summers off, the money, whatever...that kinda stuff is what makes this job worth it. My teacher and I had a good moment to reminisce and I told him that my relationship with him was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to become a teacher...to hopefully develop that kind of relationships with my students...to the point where 10 years later they'lll still come visit me, come to my house for dinner, meet my kids...all that stuff. Man...sometimes a bit of doubt creeps into my head of whether or not I really do wanna be a teacher...but today definitely solidified it pretty hard that this is what I wanna do in the future.