Self-Discovery in the Classroom

Author: Bobby Mageau

I was telling my girlfriend about working with Pre-K children teaching them phonetics, and she laughed at the end of the story and said "you belong with those kids." Now, she was probably referring to my juvenile sense of humor, but that line stuck out to me. After a couple of months of ArtistCorps service, I realized just how much these children have brightened my time.

I am not an early riser (early being before 8am), and so having to teach children that time of day has been somewhat of a daunting task, and yet it has not once bled into my work. Even on days where I have had very little sleep, the energy of being around the classroom lights me up like no double espresso could. There is a palpable sense of joy, wonder and fun when I step into that classroom, and I can feel myself getting younger (not that 21 is old, but I have an old soul). I return to my apartment smiling, even when I dread the homework I have to spend the rest of the day doing. It took until now to confirm it, but I believe the classroom experience has been missing from my life. Even on tough days when the students are rowdier than usual, there is not a single problem I wouldn't rather be dealing with at that time. It may be just beginner's luck, but I am confident that the classroom will continue to be a place of peace and delight for years to come.