Yes You Can

During the first week of school, a student caught my eye and burst out a beaming smile. 

It was only 2 weeks earlier, during CoaH’s Freshman Academy that I saw this same young lady shed tears of doubt and fear bursting from her eyes as if a lifelong build-up of deep emotions was trying to escape.

"I can't," she mumbled as she held her head low, lacking any confidence against the test in front of her.

I was proctoring a diagnostic exam, not uncommon at the beginning of a new school year, given to students so teachers can base their lessons on what the students already know. After an hour of test taking, the first student finishing seemed to snowball the entire room of anxious youngsters to turn in their completed exams and leave the challenging environment of their newfound school. But that one young woman was left alone in the corner, amongst empty desks, likely questioning her hope of having the same achievements as her peers in suburban public schools, or even her peers at City on a Hill. After all, high school at City on a Hill is a very new environment with challenges unlike any she has had in her previous years of school.

I may not know her story right now, but I know I will. She likely has one similar to many of her fellow students, who are faced with the alarming statistics of under-achievement for children of their socio-economic and demographic background. Many of these students have been subject to what is debatably the greatest social injustice our nation faces – the achievement gap.

This long buildup of thoughts and emotions prompted me to say:  "yes you can... regardless of any of your past or present circumstances, I believe in you. I know we don't know each other that well, but I believe in you, and you can. We are here to help, and if you accept that help you will go to college, and you will achieve great things. It starts by putting your pencil on the paper and writing the problem."

I share this story not so anyone will pity her situation, or even praise my attempt to inspire her in this newfound community of support. I share this because at the last high school I taught at those same words of encouragement would have been a lie. City on a Hill is a different school because it is rooted in different expectations with the right people and refined systems that produce results – meaning nothing other than student achievement. Hence, I am thrilled to be a part of this community and contribute in some way to its legacy of success, where I am yet to see many other youngsters replace doubts and fear with hope and success just as this young lady faced her fears and finished her test.

Kelin Crane is a first-year Math teacher at City on a Hill, brought to us through the Teach for America program.  He earned his Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and is currently working towards a Master's degree in teaching from Boston University.