Thank You, Walter

Time for a happy post.
I need to tell you about a moment I had today.

There are three Spanish speaking boys that come to tutoring every 6th period. Only they don't come to learn, they come to aggravate me. Interrupt my own homework session. Relentlessly correct my attempt at communicating in Spanish. Don't get me wrong, I secretly adore these boys. As much as they tease me, frustrate me, cause me headache, they are also as faithful to put a smile on my face. But, no matter how hard I try, I can never get them to actually sit down and be productive.

Today, the "chicos malos" (bad boys) as I lovingly refer to them, announced their arrival about 100 yards from the tutoring room. Yeah, they're that loud. I was determined to get at least one of them to settle down and do some work, and after a few demanding words and looks that confirmed I was serious, one of them finally plopped down next to me and opened up a book. I asked him to just read aloud to me to practice pronunciation, and after a couple of sentences, Walter was on a roll. I could sense his embarrassment and hesitation with his friends being in ear shot, but I could also see his eagerness and excitement to learn. While the other tutor was trying to maintain control of the other two chicos malos, Walter was reading. Even after his friends randomly disappeared (not uncommon), he kept going. When I asked if he wanted to take a break, he kept going. His friends would come back into the room and tease him for having to read. (Take note all of their conversation happens in Spanish, so I have to do an ridiculous amount of translating in my head...it doesn't often get me far). One thing I was able to translate though, was Walter blaming me for making him read. He didn't want to admit his desire to learn, which broke my heart, but was so understandable. Even after the teasing though, Walter picked the book back up and kept on reading. He even read past the ringing of the dismissal bell, wanting to finish up the paragraph before leaving the session. I cannot tell you how proud of Walter I was.
I am not the only one that uses nick names in tutoring, chicos malos have one for me too. "Tattoo". They are fascinated by my two tattoos, insisting on pointing to them whenever they want a new distraction. Today, instead of the expected reference of "tattoo", Walter turned to me before leaving and said, "Thank you so much Miss Leah, I hope you have a nice weekend".

This is why I tutor. And this is why I am going to teach. So I can make a difference, and hopefully help change a student's life for the better. I needed a reminder today, motivation for why I want recovery, why I need to keep going. Walter was that reminder. He not only made me incredibly proud, almost moving me to tears during his session, but he helped me remember my passion for what I want to do in life. There are many questions, many uncertainties, but when it comes to schooling and my future career - I know I am right where I need to be.