Making Differences...

I can't tell you how awesome it is to be back teaching World History and even Economics. I was scared as hell to be teaching at an alternative school, with all the negative stigma that's attached to it. But they know this is their last chance and together I'm helping them make a huge step towards a real future.

It is incredible the number of students who have touched my life in such a short amount of time. I have recovering alcoholics and heroin addicts, I have 21 year old drop outs, I have the ones who dreaded going to school for fear of someone noticing that they were different, I have the kids who's parents have given up on them, I have the losers, the outcasts and the painfully shy... and I couldn't ask for anything better.

The economics class that I thought would be terrible, has turned out to be one of the best opportunities to teach kids about social injustice. I get SENIORS, the ones who are actually interested in learning about how money makes the world go 'round... and why that is such a fucked up way to live! Every day they're bombarded with ads and commercials and news saying how important money is... and I get to teach them who gets screwed over in the process.

As much as people like to tell me that its too late and one person can't change the world, I tell my students that through their voices they have the ability to make their generation the best... or the worst. That its up to them to stop the downward spiral we're on. I tell them that in order to make a change, we have to be compassionate about our fellow neighbors... to care about those less fortunate and to help where you can.

I don't think I could ask for a better place to work...

Sometimes you watch something and gives you goosebumps - this is one of those times:

Click here: Tyler Mali - What Teachers Make