I believe in being that one person
by Vanessa Thompson, '12
I believe in inspiring kids to try new things and giving them the confidence to accomplish something that they didn’t think they could do before. Low self esteem starts early in life and is known to stay with you as you get older. I too had low self esteem in middle school, and that is why I wish to be there for these kids and to show them they can do anything they set their mind to. It only takes one person to change the view a child has on life, and I aspire to be that one person for as many kids as possible.
I volunteer at an afterschool program and one day, after most of the kids had left, one little boy was still around. This boy has some type of mental disability but he tries his hardest at everything he does. We walked over to an area where two girls were playing with a jump rope. Myself and another volunteer became the twirlers, that way each kid was given a chance to jump. The kids were having a blast! After a while, my little friend came over and said he wanted to jump too. I told him to go stand in the middle and I counted to three. 1...2...3... The rope swung up and he yelled, "I can't jump, I can’t jump...” and so the rope came down and hit his leg. He was facing me so I instantly said, "Of course you can, jump with me. Just jump up and down, like this." He did exactly what I was doing; I told him that when the rope comes around to do what he had just done with me. So again, I counted, 1...2...3... The rope swung up, came around, and he jumped. He jumped and jumped and jumped again! He jumped four times before the rope hit his leg. He couldn't have been more proud of himself! While he was jumping, he was facing me, and his expression during the whole experience is forever engraved in my head. He had the biggest grin any kid could have and he didn't want to stop! He especially loved that he jumped longer than me, as I couldn’t even make it around twice! He was bragging to my supervisor about being a “jumping machine,” a name I gave him afterwards. He wore that name with pride! All you need is that one person to believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself. Someone to say, “You can,” when all you have been saying is, “I can’t.” My passion and drive for this has ultimately led to my decision to become a teacher. As a teacher, I will be able to work with kids, motivating and encouraging them to do their best. Seeing a child accomplish a task they had been struggling with will only strengthen my desire to become that inspiration for them. My students will know that I will always be there for them, not by my words but by my actions. I will never give up on a student; rather, I will do everything I can to help them succeed. Now, go out. Go out and see who you can help today. See whose lives you can change and who you can inspire. You alone can be holding the piece that someone is missing, so you alone are the one who can fix it. I believe in being that one person. |
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About the author
As a student in the PSL class of 2012, Vanessa Thompson served at the Salvation Army Learning Zone and Hale Road Elementary School. She also participated in the Chicago Urban Plunge and Topics in Special Education Plunge. She was awarded the Mayerson Service Learning Award in 2012 for her commitment and dedication to service. After graduating from Perry High School, Vanessa attended Bowling Green State University to study middle childhood education.
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