I Am A Cheerleader

. . . which is pretty funny because I never was an actual cheerleader. I tried out twice for the squad and never made it. The last time I tried out, I was the only one cut, and at the time, that hurt a lot, but now I can look back and laugh at my reject cheerleader status and be thankful that my life went in a different direction. I now know why I was cut---I have absolutely no coordination. None. I fall down stairs. I fall up stairs. I constantly trip over my students' feet. And unfortunately, our little Abby takes after me. So, so clumsy!

But I digress. This post isn't about my failed high school cheerleading aspirations or my inability to put one foot in front of the other. Instead, it's about my job. I love it. I really do. And this week has been a rewarding one for me. I help students get their GED. We do lots of learning in class. I make them write essays, read current events, debate issues in the news, learn how to multiply and divide fractions. I work them pretty hard. But today, I realized that my biggest job is to be their cheerleader.

Most of my students have either failed in the traditional educational system or been failed by it. They come into my class with little to no confidence in their abilities and the best thing I can do as their teacher is to give them the confidence to continue. Some just need to know that they have the skills to pass the test. Those are the easy ones. But some need the confidence to even keep coming to class. They need to know that I will help them and that I will not make them feel substandard, as many of them have felt in their years in school.

Over the past few days, I've had a line of students in and out of my classroom coming to tell me that they've passed their GED test. Many couldn't believe that they actually passed, and many are excited about what the future holds. I really love this job and am so thankful that I have been able to walk beside them and see their hard work pay off.