From Carey. To: Mr. Ma

Mr. Ma,

Remember,
1. No child is unteachable

2. No class is unreachable

3. Challenges will come, but everything gets easier (at least that's what you hear)

4. There are people who care about you

5. Things could be worse

6. Find comfort and strength in God

7. You are here for a reason

8. Nothing ever worth having came easily

9. You are a person, but your students don't know that

10. We must become the change we wish to see in this world

11. Remember why you did this in the first place

12. Teaching is hard, being positive is harder and losing your temper is easy. Change that paradigm

13. Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your character. Watch your charater, they become your destiny.

14. If they [students] actually knew better, they wouldn't need to be here. They NEED to be here!

15. It is easier to survive if you find the beauty of each day.

16. Sometimes faith is all you have, so keep plenty of it.

17. Take time to breath

18. In the end you will win with clean hands if you are a good teacher

19. Hope is frail, but hard to kill

20. Keep going. Never quit. They deserve a good teacher, so figure out how to do that!

Yours truly,
Carey

Childish Things

It has been quite a while since my last posting. New York is still NYC, but what has really changed is me. Emily LaShorne said something a few weekends ago that really stuck with me. We were sitting in a hookah bar and she said that she was beginning to let go of childish things. I knew that I had heard that before, but I didn't remember when. So, like any other person from this generation, I looked it up online and found the Bible verse it came from:

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” (I Corinthians 13:11)

Why do we have to put away those childish things? As I continue to grow into the identity of Mr. Ma, I notice more and more that I am becoming an adult. in many ways it seems that I am doing for the school and students and not because it is the next organic step for my life. It seems that suddenly, birthdays went from clowns, cake, and candy to restaurants, bars, and dress clothes without ever letting me know. It just snuck up on me and I don't think I like that.

This week, I had to ask myself why I am teaching. I am not that great at it, despite what other people might think, I am just hoping that no one finds out that I am just hanging by a prayer. I know that I am doing this because I believe that the education in the US needs help. I wanted to be a part of a movement that isn't about capital gains, but about gains toward equality. The idea that the achievement gap is our generation's civil rights era astounds me. I, on some level agree, but that is a mantle that I am not sure that I can carry.

Now, I am just ranting. The crux of my posting and week is when a teacher I really admire asked me how long I planned to teach. I would never lie to this teacher. Mr. Hiasin has a way of detecting bullshit and I do not want to mess with that man. I told him that I have always been independent and that I do things as I feel them necessary. I couldn't see myself living the rest of my life as a teacher, but I can see myself doing this for a few years. What he said next made me well with pride. He told me that as soon as he met and spoke with me, he knew that I would get my PhD and write books. That's right, books, as in plural. I have never been so honored.