Today was a whirlwind of a day. I started the day not knowing what to expect. There were feelings of nervousness and excitement as well as even a little bit of fear. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was thrilled to be starting the day. As we all piled into the car, despite the fact that we were tired, there was a clear array of emotions. We walked into the school and awaited the arrival of the students patiently before heading to our assigned classrooms. The second the kids began to pile in, I was hit with my biggest rush of excitement. I could hardly wait to talk to them and get to know them in order to star making the positive impact I came here to make. I quickly learned that the kids are full of heart, passion, and potential, but lack some serious motivation. It was their lack of motivation that struck me the most throughout the day. I talked to many different kids, those who told me they planned to sleep for a living and those that planned to be doctors, but they all shared the common lack of insight to the future. Each has the potential for the future we hope for them, but may be lacking the support to get them there. While there are some fantastic teachers, I'm not sure a few great 9th grade teachers are enough to keep each of these students motivated through four years of high school and push them into wanting to attend a university. It all comes down to wanting to build a better future for yourself. but so many don't seem to think its possible. What can we do to motivates them? Is it something we can start working to change this week, or is it something that needs to be changed in the school? These are the questions running through my head as I end this day and I very much hope to reach the answers as we spend more and more time with these students.
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