worth it

Last week I asked my 8th grade pre-algebra students to write me a note stating the areas in which they still felt weak in preparation for their retake of our chapter test. I thought if they could pinpoint their own weak spots, it would guide their study sessions. One student wrote the following:

Dear Ms. Bertschi,
First I want to thank you for helping us with a great mood. And we all love you very much. The only problem I have is finding f(x) equations. I would still need some more practice. Thank you for all your work.

* * * * *

I have struggled with this class from the beginning. Over the last several weeks I have agonized over their failed quizzes, taught and retaught over and over again, and desperately prayed that something would stick. I have told them every day that I believe in them. I have wracked my brain for new ways to explain the concepts, scoured Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers for hands-on activities, bribed them with candy, showed them videos, had them teach each other ... and when they took the first chapter test I couldn't help but wonder if the last two months had been in vain. It's hard not to feel like a total failure when only one student scored higher than a C and several scored actual Fs.

Despondent, I asked myself if this struggle was really worth.

So when I read that note scrawled in typical middle school boy font, I was reminded that yes, it's worth it. All the late nights, early mornings, extra planning and brainpower that I have poured into trying to reach these struggling students is totally worth it. If only for one student to recognize his value and know that someone believes in him, for one student to see how much his teacher loves him and the lengths she is willing to go to see him succeed, for one student to build his confidence... absolutely, completely, 100% worth it.