Because of Mauricio
A moment with one student that shaped me.53 total reviews
Comment from Dolly'sPoems
I enjoyed your progression as a teacher here and your tenacious spirit to not leave any student behind or think they are a lost cause. This is a fine post because you not only mention the help you gave to students but also your own personal journey and who you also grew as a person here, a fine post and you sound like a wonderful teacher, love Dolly x
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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I enjoyed your progression as a teacher here and your tenacious spirit to not leave any student behind or think they are a lost cause. This is a fine post because you not only mention the help you gave to students but also your own personal journey and who you also grew as a person here, a fine post and you sound like a wonderful teacher, love Dolly x
Comment Written 27-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Dolly. I appreciate it so much. I, too, am grateful I never gave up either--on my students or my journey to become a teacher--and there were several incidents that exposed my raw heart. However, I'm still here, and I wouldn't trade this profession or my starfish. (The reference comes from "The Starfish Story" poem.) Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Carol Hillebrenner
This is a wonderful article about teaching and how you discovered the joy of seeing children learn and understand. You have done a good job of describing your experience. All those who entered this contest were special people, they were teachers. I read them and could not chose a best. No matter where you finished in the contest, know that you are a special person with a heart of gold.
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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This is a wonderful article about teaching and how you discovered the joy of seeing children learn and understand. You have done a good job of describing your experience. All those who entered this contest were special people, they were teachers. I read them and could not chose a best. No matter where you finished in the contest, know that you are a special person with a heart of gold.
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Carol. I appreciate it so much. Yes, these stories were amazing, and it was difficult choosing a best. I loved learning about their backgrounds and experiencing the love for their students. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Iza Deleanu
What a beautiful story and you are right every time you bring one of those lost cause back to life, you feel like you made a difference: "ips-pinched together, I vowed never to let myself become so jaded and dismissive of my students--to accept failure, to give up on my babies when they are all but screaming, pleading, for someone to see their potential, to accept them, to show them how to grow and become the best they can be.
Someone who would love them unconditionally."
Thank you for sharing and good luck with the contest.
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reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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What a beautiful story and you are right every time you bring one of those lost cause back to life, you feel like you made a difference: "ips-pinched together, I vowed never to let myself become so jaded and dismissive of my students--to accept failure, to give up on my babies when they are all but screaming, pleading, for someone to see their potential, to accept them, to show them how to grow and become the best they can be.
Someone who would love them unconditionally."
Thank you for sharing and good luck with the contest.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Iza. I greatly appreciate it, and I'm thrilled you enjoyed reading it. Yes, I love my students so much, and I'm thrilled it comes through in my story. I've taught several "Mauricios," and they've all become near and dear to my heart, especially a kindergartener I taught two years ago. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Nina Sexton
I love this piece, full of love and hope for the greater good. Well done on writing it but thank you for caring in your work as a teacher above all. I'm sure Mauricio is proud to have you on his side.
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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I love this piece, full of love and hope for the greater good. Well done on writing it but thank you for caring in your work as a teacher above all. I'm sure Mauricio is proud to have you on his side.
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Nina. I appreciate it so much, and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. Yes, I love my students so much; unfortunately, I've lost contact with Mauricio, but I often think of him and hope he's living the life he deserves with people who love and appreciate him. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Lola G
This piece was very moving to read. It was both a story of how a teacher is made (and also who is innately meant to be a teacher) and how that effects a teacher's ongoing engagement with their students. I grew to root for Mauricio and wondered what happened to him. I enjoyed experiencing how the author grew from a youth to a wise educator.
Suggestions to improve are minor and punctuation related:
Replace ? with an ! in the sentence, "Coach......did?"
The bolded 'not' grabbed my attention, perhaps consider using italics like in other sentences.
The second to the last sentence confused me. "despite making poor decisions" I was confused who made the poor decisions?
Very minor corrections. Overall, well done!
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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This piece was very moving to read. It was both a story of how a teacher is made (and also who is innately meant to be a teacher) and how that effects a teacher's ongoing engagement with their students. I grew to root for Mauricio and wondered what happened to him. I enjoyed experiencing how the author grew from a youth to a wise educator.
Suggestions to improve are minor and punctuation related:
Replace ? with an ! in the sentence, "Coach......did?"
The bolded 'not' grabbed my attention, perhaps consider using italics like in other sentences.
The second to the last sentence confused me. "despite making poor decisions" I was confused who made the poor decisions?
Very minor corrections. Overall, well done!
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Lola. I appreciate it so much. Unfortunately, I've lost contact with Mauricio, but I often think of him. I hope he's living the life he deserves, surrounded by people who love him. Thank you for your suggestions. I always appreciate ways to improve and strengthen my writing. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Jay Squires
I hope this receives the judges' attention, as it should. This is so well-written, especially on the emotional level. Oh, how I wish I had you as a teacher all those years I stagnated as a bright, but self-protecting child, like Mauricio. Since this is a contest I'm sure you want to do well in, there are a few (perhaps nit-picky) things I'd have you look at:
While very small, and probably passed by many readers without a second thought, I think I should point out to you that in the sentence, "Fast-forward four years, thanks to my dad, I pursued my teaching credential ..." you should consider a full stop or a semi-colon after "Fast forward four years." If you don't, the grammarian could conceive that you couldn't fast forward it four years if it weren't for your dad.
Regretfully, I was teacher #3 for the 7A class in two weeks since the beginning of the year. [You might restructure this sentence. Owing to so many facts crammed into the short sentence, it makes for an awkward read. It has something to do with "since the beginning of the year".]
Probably others I never learned about. [Does "other" refer to other "issues" or "other students"? We can figure it out, contextually, but if I understand you, and I believe I do, I think you choose to be clear in the first place.]
Forget about Mauricio.
He doesn't matter.
He's a lost cause. [Excellent the way you isolated each point so that each one shot out like a bullet! Brilliant!]
Like I said, perhaps a tad nit-picky, but in as much as you want to perform well in this contest, you might want to at least consider them. You are a superb writer. I wish you the best in the contest.
Jay
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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I hope this receives the judges' attention, as it should. This is so well-written, especially on the emotional level. Oh, how I wish I had you as a teacher all those years I stagnated as a bright, but self-protecting child, like Mauricio. Since this is a contest I'm sure you want to do well in, there are a few (perhaps nit-picky) things I'd have you look at:
While very small, and probably passed by many readers without a second thought, I think I should point out to you that in the sentence, "Fast-forward four years, thanks to my dad, I pursued my teaching credential ..." you should consider a full stop or a semi-colon after "Fast forward four years." If you don't, the grammarian could conceive that you couldn't fast forward it four years if it weren't for your dad.
Regretfully, I was teacher #3 for the 7A class in two weeks since the beginning of the year. [You might restructure this sentence. Owing to so many facts crammed into the short sentence, it makes for an awkward read. It has something to do with "since the beginning of the year".]
Probably others I never learned about. [Does "other" refer to other "issues" or "other students"? We can figure it out, contextually, but if I understand you, and I believe I do, I think you choose to be clear in the first place.]
Forget about Mauricio.
He doesn't matter.
He's a lost cause. [Excellent the way you isolated each point so that each one shot out like a bullet! Brilliant!]
Like I said, perhaps a tad nit-picky, but in as much as you want to perform well in this contest, you might want to at least consider them. You are a superb writer. I wish you the best in the contest.
Jay
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Jay. I greatly appreciate it, and I'm thrilled it resonated with you. Yes, I love my students so much, and I'm thrilled it comes through in my story. I've taught several "Mauricios," and they've all become near and dear to my heart, especially a kindergartener I taught two years ago. Thank you also for your grammar suggestions. I always appreciate ways to improve and strengthen my writing. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from BlueJamme
An engaging and deeply personal piece about the origins of a belief and boundary that you weren't willing to cross - to give up on another human's needs. Well done and thanks for sharing.
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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An engaging and deeply personal piece about the origins of a belief and boundary that you weren't willing to cross - to give up on another human's needs. Well done and thanks for sharing.
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, BlueJamme. I appreciate it so much. Yes, I love my students so much, and I'm thrilled it comes through in my story. I've taught several "Mauricios," and they've all become near and dear to my heart, especially a kindergartener I taught two years ago. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Faith Williams
I shared the part of your story about the school administrator with my husband who is a teacher. He just shook his head, but he wasn't surprised. He teaches high school life-skills for the special ed. department. Most of the administrators have no idea what his job entails.
Your story is well-written and heartfelt about your students and your teaching career. Best wishes in the contest!
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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I shared the part of your story about the school administrator with my husband who is a teacher. He just shook his head, but he wasn't surprised. He teaches high school life-skills for the special ed. department. Most of the administrators have no idea what his job entails.
Your story is well-written and heartfelt about your students and your teaching career. Best wishes in the contest!
Comment Written 26-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Faith. I appreciate it so much. I'm grateful you and your husband understood the impact of my story. Yes, I love my students so much, and I'm thrilled it comes through in my story. I've taught several "Mauricios," and they've all become near and dear to my heart, especially a kindergartener I taught two years ago. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Writebynight
Such a heartwarming story about staying strong and not giving up on students struggling in a system that unfortunately so often fails them. I'm sure Mauricio and so many of your other students will be so thankful they had a teacher so caring.
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Such a heartwarming story about staying strong and not giving up on students struggling in a system that unfortunately so often fails them. I'm sure Mauricio and so many of your other students will be so thankful they had a teacher so caring.
Comment Written 25-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it so much. Yes, I love my students so much, and I'm thrilled it comes through in my story. I've taught several "Mauricios," and they've all become near and dear to my heart, especially a kindergartener I taught two years ago. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
Comment from Lea Tonin1
Wow, that is so great, so inspiring and also sad too. Knowing that there are teachers in the world, who would dismiss a young person like that?
And thank God there are teachers like you! A wonderful story with a fine moral and lessons to be learned. Thank you for sharing this with us. It's quite inspirational, give me hope that there are yet some people with integrity. That still exist in the world today.
An integrity does encompass many things. Does it not things like trust and honesty and loyalty? In dependability, all these create integrity. Which is my favorite moral.
FedEx no problems at all and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I'm glad to know that there are good teachers in the world. Thank you for this and have an awesome day!
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Wow, that is so great, so inspiring and also sad too. Knowing that there are teachers in the world, who would dismiss a young person like that?
And thank God there are teachers like you! A wonderful story with a fine moral and lessons to be learned. Thank you for sharing this with us. It's quite inspirational, give me hope that there are yet some people with integrity. That still exist in the world today.
An integrity does encompass many things. Does it not things like trust and honesty and loyalty? In dependability, all these create integrity. Which is my favorite moral.
FedEx no problems at all and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I'm glad to know that there are good teachers in the world. Thank you for this and have an awesome day!
Comment Written 25-Jul-2023
reply by the author on 28-Jul-2023
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Thank you for reading and reviewing, Lea. I appreciate it so much. Yes, I love my students so much, and I'm thrilled it comes through in my story. I've taught several "Mauricios," and they've all become near and dear to my heart, especially a kindergartener I taught two years ago. Thank you again for reading. Take care. :D :D
