How Can I Help My Students Realise They Have a Right to Believe in Themselves?
A teacher's take on the school divide
News & Reviews Magazine
This article is part of our April edition. Read the editor’s letter to see what other fantastic writing has just been published. If you’re annoyed that it’s paywalled, then that means you wanted to read it, which means you value it. These writers get paid for what they do because their work is valuable. If you like that this type of independent media exists, please back it!
The piece you’re reading now is by Emma Dower. Emma is a secondary English teacher and Literacy Learning Specialist based in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne/Naarm. She is passionate about lifting the standard of support for teachers and creating opportunities to empower students through the subject of English.
[Editor’s note: some identifying features of schools, students, and incidents have been changed for privacy and ethics.]
‘Miss, can I talk to you?’
‘Of course.’
Tall and broad, Jay tugged at his loosening slacks as he settled across from my desk. He had a cheap fade and a stud in each ear, a growing trend amongst the boys.
The clock ticked overhead as he detailed the hit and run committed over the weekend by a local gang his brother had pissed off, the glint of the knife jutting from the perpetrator’s hip, his mother’s wailing screams.
Driving home from school that afternoon, my knuckles go white gripping the steering wheel. My breath is hard and fast. I’m trying not to swear at the four-wheel drive crawling along the road in front of me. I let out a breath as it finally lurches forward. The tears are flowing now.
It had been one of those days that makes me question whether I’m truly cut out for teaching. Unfortunately, these situations are all too common in low SES schools like mine, especially when the population forms such a rich tapestry of cultures and nationalities. Many of us go into education hoping to make a meaningful difference in our students’ lives. There are moments that we might even be saving lives. But that kind of pressure can leave you breathless if you think about it for too long.