The more I learn who I am and why the more I realize so much of it comes down to small moments that didn't seem so profound at the time. Maybe even moments that wouldn't have been all that profound to someone else or at some other time in my life/under other circumstances. Our perception influences every interaction we experience. My perspective has been shaped by small impactful moments.
Some of these moments have been with teachers. I went to 11 schools growing up...it went like this:
Kindergarten through part of grade 2
Part of grade 2 through part of grade 3
Part of grade 3 through all of grade 4
Part of grade 5 x three schools in three cities
Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9
Part of grade 10 x two schools in two cities
All of grade 11 through online school
Part of grade 12 at two schools plus an attempt at online
High school graduation eluded me on the first attempt. I had to go back for a full 13th year.
School was somewhere I got to be whoever I wanted. I wasn't the girl with the scary home life. I was the girl with the strong vocabulary and the incredible memory and the good manners. And it was like that for a long time. Eventually I got really tired and started showing up less and less, crushed under the weight of the dysfunction I was existing in.
I think there are some really special people that can see right through the curated exterior. And they know it has to stay unspoken at the same time. Those teachers really saw me. And they saw there was a potential it would take me decades to believe. Their impact remains a piece of my story that I will wear forever in gratitude. I can only hope that they realized they were making a difference at the time.
Sometimes we underestimate our ability to help others see themselves; that our lens is actually focused on something they might not otherwise capture.
The way you champion the people in your life matters. The kind way you speak to the people you interact with out in the world matters. The warmth of your smile. Try not to discount the day to day moments that seem small. There is someone reflecting right now on what a difference those moment made for them.
-Amanda
