My Student Story

Working at a city school allows me to work with a variety of students.  I have a classroom full of  many students who have supportive families, but I also have students who come from difficult homes.  I was having a conversation with one of my 5th grade boys one day before lunch.  He was talking to me about his family and started to tell me about his mother.  I was aware that he lived with his father and that his mother wasn't a permanent figure in his home.  He told me that his mother left him when he was a baby and he went on to describe how he rarely sees her and how she doesn't take an active interest in him.  As tears welled up in his eyes, he said, "Mrs. Shuman, I wish you were my mom."  Blinking back tears myself, I tried to comfort him by telling him how lucky he is to have such a wonderful father and went on to tell him all of the terrific things I knew about his dad.  He nodded his head in understanding and we ended the conversation with a hug.  Teaching is so much more than instructing, I do often feel like I'm a parent to eighteen children.  I love providing a stable, consistent place for the kids to come to everyday and to have a relationship strong enough with my students for them to think so much of me.