911吃瓜

After college, Raven Hebert worked as a junior chemist, doing the same thing every day. 鈥淚t was horrible,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y dad, who is a teacher, said, 鈥榃hy not teach while you figure out what you want to do?鈥欌��

Teaching was what Hebert wanted to do, and variety was why. At TC, inspired by science education faculty member Jessica Riccio, she embraced her 鈥渋nner happy nerd鈥� and learned to gear instruction to different students鈥� needs. 鈥淲ith 30-plus kids, there were so many opportunities to connect.鈥� 

Making connections hasn鈥檛 come without bruises 鈥� like the time Hebert asked an angry student to sit down. 鈥淪he cussed me out, with all the kids in the class watching. It was a little devastating. I took two days off and was seriously rethinking my situation.鈥� 

Later the girl apologized. 鈥淗er dad had been shot. Her mom wasn鈥檛 working, she was taking care of her siblings. I thought, how do you even come to school?鈥� 

Yet as rough as it can be when kids act out, the greater danger may be when they don鈥檛. Recently in this magazine, TC doctoral student Wenimo Okoya, who previously taught in New Jersey鈥檚 public schools, wrote about her favorite student, Lakeisha Daniels 鈥� 鈥渁 brilliant 12-year-old . . . far more interested in reading The Diary of a Wimpy Kid than in watching Pretty Little Liars like her peers.鈥�

Over time, Okoya noticed that Lakeisha often was missing homework assignments, frequently falling asleep in class and, in general, becoming withdrawn. She asked the girl鈥檚 grandfather (her legal guardian) to make sure that Lakeisha was getting enough sleep. But during that summer, Lakeisha called Okoya to say she鈥檇 been diagnosed with leukemia. Five years later, she died.

鈥淟akeisha鈥檚 lesson should be a central part of teacher preparation across the country,鈥� wrote Okoya, who is now a health educator at Children鈥檚 Health Fund, directing the organization鈥檚 . 鈥淟et鈥檚 ensure that every educator has ample training to look 鈥榖eneath the surface鈥� before she or he enters the classroom.鈥�