This is where I teach. Roosevelt Elementary in Cicero. We are a very high minority school, and district. There is not any school in the state with such a high Hispanic population than our district.
I have to say though, for as many looks as I get when I tell people what town I work in, these are just kids. Many tear your heart out with some of their stories, but all in all, they're just kids. Many people don't understand that. They are usually the ones who have some prejudice and can't look past nationality. I really enjoy working here. I don't think there is any other district in my local vicinity where I would be getting a free Master's degree and for each year, ending with my fifth year, one of my student loans is forgiven. I receive a specific percentage each year, but I only have 2 years left. If I had not worked in this district, I would have never been asked to be on the Oprah Show when they did Oprah's Favorite Things for teachers.
After asking myself for years, "what do I want to do when I grow up?" I finally figured it out. It's amazing how much you can do and how things come to you when figure out God's plan for you. I have always felt like it took a while to find my calling, but now I'm there.
I guess reflecting on how much I've gotten from teaching, it's really hard to consider it "the grindstone".
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