These are some realizations I've made this semester.
1. I've lost that "cool mojo" because at 28, I am now waaaay closer to the age of my students' parents (4-5 years different for many of them) than to the age of my actual students (12 years difference). The fact that this happened within a year (and a change of environment) makes it just seem so sudden, and I suddenly feel old.
2. I have more confirmed gay/lesbian students than I do confirmed Christian students. I still haven't worked out the best way to deal with this.
3. My students keep asking me what race I am (somewhat to my surprise, because isn't it really obvious I'm white and nerdy?) because my hair is thick and somewhat frizzy when I get hot (often in my classroom). Hence the confusion about what race I am. They assume I'm "mixed" (which makes me happy).
4. There are some battles that are impossible to win. Move on and spend your energy elsewhere, even though it completely breaks my heart.
5. Every person is an individual. This sounds basic, but I've really had this drilled into my experience working at Ben Davis. For every student I have a negative experience with, there is a student from the same neighborhood with the same accent who provides a very positive experience. It is impossible to make assumptions about what someone will be like based on location, appearance, or accent. You just have to wait and see what this individual is like.
6. Travel revitalizes me. My energy is sapped when I stay in the same place for a long time. I need to find a way to travel more within this job to stay energized and happy.
7. The darker the night, the brighter a small light shines.
