“Miss Samantha! Miss Samantha!”
I looked up to see my student from
last week, rushing towards me with nearly palpable excitement. Her voice rang
with pride as she revealed the results of a recent exam, the best she’s
performed. It was incredibly rewarding to have played a role in her success, satisfying
to share my love of chemistry and so very heartwarming to see pride in academic
achievements. However, I couldn’t help but wonder that if she’d benefitted thus
from my one session with her, how far could she, the other students, or really
any of us go with individualized attention? Each of us houses such untapped
potential that could be realized with timely encouragement, support, or even a
simple nudge in the right direction. Extrapolating further, I wondered about
the individuals whose words unknowingly turned me onto my path and whose hands
propelled me through obstacles. I sincerely hope that my appreciation for their
guidance is reflected in my actions, words and heart of service.
That night, I thanked my dad for his
endless support. I told him about another student earlier who had asked me “how
is this going to help pay my bills?” with regards to our lesson on periodic
table trends. To my chagrin, I did not have an immediate answer. I have been
blessed to always have food in my stomach, clothes on my back and a warm place
to sleep. How differently would I have turned out had I had monetary stressors?
I still don’t have an answer. All I know is that I want to help these students
discover their passions and talents, whether it’s in chemistry or elsewhere. I
want to be their tutor, mentor, and maybe even friend. Most of all, I want to
see more of my students take pride in their academic accomplishments until
they’re literally bursting with the need for others to share in their joy.October community service hours: 9
