Blessing #35: A relationship restored

Loving my job today!

I don't want to be very specific, but it goes generally like this:  a student was struggling in class who didn't used to struggle in class.  We talked it out, I made a few changes, we did class.  Afterwards the student thanked me and reported feeling really good about class and feeling successful.  Hurrah! 

Our relationship has been restored, but even better.  We were able to articulate our needs and adjust the way we did things.  I learned so much from this one incident: 

• how to work through a tough situation with a student;  
• that students really do want to learn and have a good idea of what they need to do so;  
• that my relationships with my students are super important to me and 
• that I can absolutely feel it when there is a disturbance in the force and that
• I should listen to that disturbance and root it out.

Encounters like this remind me that my job is so much more than teaching math; it is about relationships.