I've been passionate about teaching lately because I've found a way to revitalize less exciting parts of the English class. With help of several other English teachers I've worked to create a them based course of study including modern films and news stories. The goal of the whole thing was to engage students so that they care and put more effort into their work. Success has been mixed. Sure I gripe a lot, (there have been times I've wanted to drop kick kids in my classes over the goal posts of our CIF winning football team's stadium), but I have had some breakthroughs where students were able to learn a new things about themselves or their world. But the question remains: is this what I really want to spend my time on? I pour 10- 15 hours a week into crafting awesome lessons and pouring over students papers, and usually spend another 30-35 hours discovering the futility of that work as my lesson plans fall apart, and students toss corrected work straight into the trash.

So before I slit my wrists, or elicit a lot of sympathy comments from those few who read this blog, I do have a positive, albeit profoundly obvious reflection that I've gained from this failed teaching effort: I should do something else.

I've always had a predisposition towards the aiding the neglected, but I wasn't sure if it was just a romantic notion of doing the happy- helppy thing, or if it was a true "calling." However, as I sit reflecting over the day, the week, the year, I realize that I'm always drawn to the neglected. The most fulfilling and challenging part of teaching is working with lower level learners, or helping first time high school grads find their way into the right college. Giving a leg up to the kids who the rest of society has put down is incredibly fulfilling, when it happens. That said, it is such a small part of my teaching, why not move on and find somewhere (if only just for a short time) that I can make a difference. Why not live abroad? Why not study the failures of the education system in the poor parts of Mexico or South America and help kids learn before they even get here? Why not investigate the sources of the problems causing such apathy in students, and attempt to reverse them? At the very least I'll appreciate teaching more, or, hopefully, I'll find something I love even more.

So then, it remains a question of when, where, and how to get started. Something I plan on focusing on this year, wish me luck!!