Today, as I bid my students good-bye, one young man thanked me for helping him even though he was “dumb.” His words hurt me because I had seen great things in his work and passion in his studies to become a heavy equipment operator.
How had this tremendous individual made it all the way to college with the mentality that he was “dumb”?
As I thought about him and his success I wished him well and said a prayer that he would realize how smart he really is. Even though he did not believe he could be successful, the work he produced in my class and his technology program have proven that beyond the breaks in his educational past he has what it takes to make his time at a State Tech work for him.
He is one of those crayons that was broken in the trials and tribulations of elementary and secondary school. Today the marks he is making are brighter than he knows and I hope the words and support provided by my class will begin to repair the cracks and tears made by former failures.