To Inspire or Be Inspired?

Whether you're a college student and made the decision to choose the field of education, or if you already chose a path but changed fields and now you are going into education as a new change. We all come into it for the sole purpose to educate and inspire others. See, when you go into it with an open heart and open mind, sometimes we fail to even realize how much our students can inspire us in return.

My first teaching experience was working with unaccompanied minors who are refugees. Each of these children had their own story or trauma. They were mainly from Central America who fled their countries for a better life in the U.S. At first, I pitied them. Then after more time went by I realized that pity was not making them stronger, so I took a different approach and gave them faith. Faith that despite their situations, they would succeed academically. The moment I started believing in them, they started to believe in themselves. Over time, their grades got better in every subject and they even smiled and laughed more often. I even had this one student, who when he first came to me, he only spoke his country's dialect. Then as time surpassed he knew more English than Spanish!

Like every story, there came an end. I was offered a better job opportunity closer to my home. The day that I had to tell them made me realize how much I loved and cared about them. This is when I realized that not only did I inspire them, but they left an imprint in my heart as well forever. They inspired me as well. As a teacher, you will have many students, but you will never forget your first class. You will never forget those who inspire you to be a better person.

Definitions

inspire - fill the urge to do or feel something.

sole - spiritual aspect of a human.

fail - to be unsuccessful in achieving a goal.

trauma - a disturbing experience.

pity - to feel bad for someone or something.

succeed - to achieve a goal that was planned. 

Prepositions

A preposition is a part of speech that adds more detail in a sentence and sometimes necessary to describe a thought. Example sentence: After several minutes we located the key for the door. 

"After several minutes" the word "after" is the preposition, and "minutes" is the object of the preposition. In the part "for the door", the word "for" is the preposition and "door" is the object of the preposition.

Directions:  Write the prepositional word in each blank for each sentence below.

1. They fled their countries for a better life. 

______________

2. We all go into education for different reasons. 

______________

3. Their grades got better in every subject. 

______________