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How My Students Drove Me Crazy and Inspired a Movement

Allen Ginsberg

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Published in Goodbye Homeboy: How My Students Drove Me Crazy And Inspired A Movement

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I was a first-year teacher, fresh out of college and full of idealism. I had always loved working with children, and I couldn't wait to make a difference in their lives.

Goodbye Homeboy: How My Students Drove Me Crazy and Inspired a Movement

by Steve Mariotti

4.9 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	6916 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	304 pages

But my first year of teaching was nothing like I had imagined. My students were challenging, to say the least. They were disruptive, disrespectful, and unmotivated. I felt like I was constantly losing control of my classroom.

I started to doubt myself. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a teacher after all. But then something happened that changed everything. One day, I was teaching a lesson on the Civil War. I was talking about the battle of Gettysburg, and I got so caught up in the story that I started to cry.

I was embarrassed at first, but then I realized that my students were crying too. They were moved by the story of the soldiers who had fought and died at Gettysburg. They were also moved by the fact that their teacher was willing to show them her emotions.

That day, I realized that my students were not just a bunch of troublemakers. They were human beings with real feelings and real needs. And I realized that I had a responsibility to them, not just as their teacher, but as a human being.

I started to change the way I taught. I started to focus less on discipline and more on creating a positive and supportive learning environment. I started to get to know my students outside of the classroom. I started to care about them as individuals.

And it worked. My students started to change too. They became more respectful, more engaged, and more motivated. They started to see me as a real person, not just as a teacher. And they started to see themselves as capable of success.

The next year, I started a movement called "Teaching for Change." The goal of the movement is to create a more just and equitable education system for all students. We believe that all students deserve a quality education, regardless of their race, class, or background.

Teaching for Change has grown into a national movement, with chapters in over 30 states. We have worked with thousands of teachers and students to create positive change in schools across the country.

I am so grateful for the students who drove me crazy. They taught me so much about myself and about the power of education. They inspired me to start a movement that is changing the world.