[staff] Getting to really know my students...
February was a very interesting month for me. I was able to publish something official for the first time. Albeit it was a long process, it was certainly rewarding so hopefully it won’t be the last. Sometimes we concentrate so hard on challenging the teens we work with that we forget to challenge ourselves.
Second, I had to let two students go in the program, while another had to leave because of personal reasons. Losing students in the program is not something I take lightly, I probably get too attached to the teens sometimes that I often have to make a conscious effort to draw the line, so this time I am learning to let go and accept the fact that I can't always be the one to help them mature, be all that they can be, achieve nothing short of what they can do, etc.
So for the 2 students who had to leave the program, I wish them best of luck, and perhaps they will return next year, you never know. 
I got to know my students better this month, and I am very very happy about that. Now that we are more familiar with each other, they have become more comfortable sharing with me on a personal level and the feeling is mutual. I know what songs they like, not the songs we assume they "should" like based on their age or gender, I know what goes on in their school and home lives, how many siblings they have, who grew up without a mother, or father, or who has never moved away from their neighborhood. I am also realizing my "role" in their lives, which is always evolving in a good way. I might be a friend to some of them, but to most, I am still seen as a "teacher", even though I don't work at their schools as a regular teacher, or have any obligation to evaluate their academics career on a regular basis. So the interaction we have with each other is special, and for this I am thankful.
I want to share one story of a teen, someone I was afraid of losing in the beginning of the program. This student grew up without a mother; her sister has raised her since her mother’s death. She is intelligent, warm, and possesses a wicked sense of humor. However, she is also defiant and strong opinionated, and does not always work well with others. Over the months she came and went, at times she would not show up for the program for 2 to 3 consecutive sessions, or arrive late with no valid excuse. She felt frustrated with the program and was often distracted. However, instead of confronting her with problems I noticed with her behavior, I showered her with encouragement and small talks. I knew she has it in her to do well and excel, and I also knew that she was not the type of person who could take criticisms well. Let’s face it, who can? Especially when you are a teenager.
Then I noticed that she started coming more frequently, more and more on time, and befriended another student in the program. Now she is becoming a leader in her own ways, and when she smiles, it brightens up the room.
Lesson learned for me this month is that the extra few minutes you take to get to know someone, will get you a story, a deeper understanding of who it is you are really talking to. Noticed I said someone, not “student”, or “teen”?
Get to know one of your teen today, and leave work out of it. Who knows, maybe you secretly admire the same pop singer or watch the same TV show just as religiously as they do. 
