I get to have a relationship with kids that is different and unique from most of the other adults in their lives, and I really try to respect that. I don’t take it lightly. I’m not a parent or a teacher or a coach. I’m not expecting results of any kind. I just want them to be good people. I always come back to the idea that each kid has an opportunity to make him/herself proud, to know what they are capable of and what they want to be.
I really value the fact that I get to be that person—that I get to have those relationships. I believe that every kid needs someone—another outlet and supportive adult in their lives in addition to their parent(s).
There are so many different ways to teach and so many different ways to learn. I believe that experiential education is especially important. Traditional academics are important, of course, but there are life skills: communication skills, leadership skills, flexibility, thinking outside the box, teamwork skills that students gain through hands-on experiential education. These skills all translate into every aspect of life. Each year I take my students on a service trip to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Through these service-learning experiences they learn so much about themselves and each other and what they are capable of accomplishing and more about their place in the world.
Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean being the captain of a team or telling someone else what to do. I want kids to learn about what kind of leader they are, and that can look different for every single student.
So many of my kids have gone on, in college and in their careers, to do amazing things. I have former students working in the social services and on social justice issues all over the country and they all make me so proud. I’m still in touch with many of them—some even in their thirties now. I learn things from them when they come back to visit—about innovative programs they’ve started and experiences they’ve had that are learnings for me.