Reflective Essay: The Ridgewood Middle School Story

I have a personal connection with the children in these areas because I am too come from a low income, impoverished, rural area. I understand the hardships that many kids will face because of the lack of educational resources and quality teachers. I believe that many of the obstacles can be abstained if each student is able to be impacted by a teacher who is resilient and passionate as I was impacted by Ms. Gloria Brantley. As a child growing up in rural Georgia I had no aspirations in furthering my education. I did not dream of being a doctor, teacher or lawyer because I did not have the encouragement from my family or other teachers. It was not until I met my sixth grade English teacher Ms. Brantley that I started to believe that I could actually do something with myself and that I did not have settle for the life that I was accustomed to. She saw the determination

My desire was to challenge myself and pursue my belief in life-long learning. And yes, the last eight weeks have definitely been a challenge intellectually in IDS 101. After the first two weeks of school, I seriously questioned why I would go back to school at fifty-one years of age for personal satisfaction. The days were long and I wasn’t sure I still had the self-discipline and determination that would be needed to finish. Over the last eight weeks, this class gave me numerous opportunities to hone my skills in critical thinking, research, and writing. This class has given me the necessary skills to continue toward completing my degree.

To know how lead, first you got to learn how to follow. Knowing that quote help me understand my mentor Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith was my coach at first when I started Middle School at Paul Public Charter School. Mr. Smith had taught me to not put sports over education and to respect others.

Fear. As I walked into the huge, unfamiliar building of Gibson Southern High School on my first day of freshmen year, I shook with terror. New teachers, new people, new classes, and a new environment that I yearned to explore, but anxiety filled my body. I had previously attended Haubstadt Community School, where I finally felt comfortable and now everything seemed frightening and different. Although my body told me not to, I forced myself to push through the day with a positive attitude. After all, this would be my home for the next four years.

As I started running out the car I noticed I had forgotten my posters I had for my classroom. It was so much going on in my life, that I didn’t believe I could make it this far. "Mrs. Stacy, do you need help carrying your stuff to your classroom?" Said Mr. Jacob who had settled his classroom right across from mine. "Oh your help would be soo useful at this moment Mr. Jacob!" As I gave him the two big boxes of books that were filled with rain and mud from the thundery rain I ran back to my car to get my posters. Mrs. Stacy was just starting her career at Tennessee in Hicks Elementary School. An art teacher who had just graduated and moved away from the big city lights and into an old small town. She was just getting used to Mercy Town, a few miles away from an old cemetery.

At a school in Texas called Hickory Hills middle school in 1999.It was a normal day for Timothy John he was stealing a nerds lunch.

Out of the 19 years I have been blessed to be on this earth, I can honestly say that my most rewarding moment was the day graduated Mansfield Timberview High School. Hearing my family cheer me on, getting my diploma and shaking hands with the board of administration, and beating our class statistics, is what this day a very memorable day.

Ever since this kid was in second grade, he always wanted to be in band. I was there when he heard the Keller Middle School band play for his school, and even though he didn’t get to high-five Frosty the Snowman I knew he was excited. In fact, he was so excited that he threw me off and I was shipped off to the lost and found for a day, until he got me because there’s no doubt he was cold without me. Anyway, Shane always had his heart set on being in band. The band director, Mr. Maus, had told everyone to tell him if they wanted to be in band once they got to Bear Creek Intermediate, and that’s exactly what he did. Shane was determined to do exactly what he wanted this time.

“First in State and District, the Lone Star Academic Challenge Champion is….Richland Elementary School!” Cheers and claps erupt through the crowd and I feel my heart pound. A ringing resounds through my head as everything slows down. I feel my body being dragged up the stairs by my teacher. A gold medal is placed on my head and rests on my shoulder, my hands are shook and I read the words “Congratulations” on the announcer’s lips. Speed returns to normal and it dawns on me: we won. My team won first place. I let out my delayed reaction of jumping up and down, screaming in delight as a smile graces my face. I feel a tap on my shoulder and my head turns so fast, I think I got whiplash. A Texas-shaped trophy is handed to me and my smile grows bigger as I rip the trophy from the announcer’s hands and wave it around, yelling, “We won!” over and over again.

I wait in the lobby of Edinboro Elementary for my younger brother, surrounded by vibrant colors, and drawings of what the children who attend there want to be when they grow up, coupled with adorably misspelled descriptions underneath. I walk over to glance at one, depicted is a squiggly-drawn superhero and underneath it reads“Wen i grow up i want to be A superhero.” It reminds me of how innocent and simple life is when you are young. Before I managed to read another poster I notice my brother running down the hall in his blue, Pokémon shirt, with a smile that spans from ear to ear, which could only mean that it is Friday. When we entered my car I ask him the usual, “How was your day? Did you have fun at school today? Did you learn anything

“So I started this new diet, and I can’t drink wine. These kids are making it very hard to keep that up,” the Rosehill Elementary School librarian, Mrs. Harrington, siad to me in passing. I paused my book shelving and gave her a quiet chuckle while she went to go teach the kindergarten class that recently arrived. For the next thirty minutes I heard screaming and shouting about sharing crayons while students ran up and down the shelves, nearly running into me in the process. Once the kindergarteners left, Mrs. Harrington was making her way back to her desk, but whispered to me, “You know what? I’m going to have a glass tonight. I deserve it.”

Going to a new school has its ups and its downs, there are many struggles. There are also many things that are good that I like about Laurel Ridge. I am also having trouble academically.

How did I get in this position, freezing cold in a cemetery soaking wet in the rain digging up a coffin?Well, let’s start at the beginning.”OK Students here we are,the Greensberg cemetery!”Please be dutiful!”Miss Jennings said.You might be wondering why are the students of Greensberg Middle school in a cemetery?Well the mayor of Greens Berg just passed.Ah! Ever since Mayor Green has been gone all the people in town have been weeping their eyes out.Anyways,as soon as we got there we were given a tour of the place like we have never seen it before.When we got to the late Mayor’s grave, we stopped for a minute and then keep going.For some reason I stayed oh, did I mention he wasn’t even barred yet!CRAZY COOL RIGHT!I looked around to see

Dick Clark once said, “Music is the soundtrack of your life.” With this quote, I remember walking into Baldwin Road Middle School’s orchestra room as a 6th grader. I noticed as you walked in, there was a black piano. The back of the room showed a mirror that filled the entire wall. Then in my hands, was a beautiful broken, rusted violin. Opening its case, I never realized how such a small fragile wooden object could make an enormous sound. I wasn’t the only one in the room. I could see about 30 other kids, sitting in seats, taking in the aroma of our first orchestra class. “I will be with these kids for the next 7 years.” I thought to myself.

As a young black woman I have known that odds are stacked against me for most of my life, I have seen how my identity itself is a triple negative, but despite the obvious mathematical solution to a triple negative I am determined to turn it into a positive. And I believe that this summer program at Spelman can definitely help me do it. I have set myself up for succes in every way I can, including involving myself in as many leadership opportunities as possible and doing community service ever since I was in a kid. I was teaching karate two days a week in 8th grade in order to pay for my classes, chosen to be the keynote speaker at the beginning of the year convocation going in to my freshman year, first chair in my high school Wind Ensemble