Struggles Brings Connection
People come in and out of our lives. That’s just they way it is. My grandfather use to say, “Three friends is too much. Two friends are possible. One friend is all you need.” Over the past six or seven years of teaching, I’ve seen students come in and out of my classroom or stop by my office to let me know what’s new with them. I love the connection and interaction. What makes me feel good about my students stopping by, to me, is the relationship. That relationship is built by trust, guidance, and a little bit of accommodation. Nevertheless, a student comes by because of the “connection.” One time, early on in my career, there was a student who came into my classroom. I was teaching a full load of classes back in those days (a full load is considered five classes). The student seemed to be aggravated. Of course, wanting to know what was up, I asked him if everything was okay. What seemed to be what I thought could have been minor, immediately captured my attention. It was not ...