I keep my head down, I take notes, and I attempt to follow the class. I can't always keep up, and I get confused a lot, especially when they talk about politics. It's way more complex than back home.
It was March, and Mr. Flemal, my geography teacher, still didn't know my name. He had called me Clara one time, and the second time he called me Emma, I was a bit frustrated. So I made a sign on the back of an old piece of paper with my name spelled out on it in big letters. Just to help him out, in case he needed to call on me for some reason. Mr. Flemal is a pretty cool guy, and he laughed when he saw my giant name tag. I've switched to a seat at the front of the room now, and I put out my name tag every day. He's been using it, too. He greets me when I sit down now, and looks over my notes to see if I'm keeping up (which I am... the unit we're doing now is pretty simple, and I like it a lot).
Last week, at the end of class, Mr. Flemal asked me for my name tag. I gave it to him, and left.
Today, I came into class, name tag-less. I sat down, and Mr. Flemal said "Salut Mikayla."
That's the first time he has used my name without a visual aid. This teacher has taken the time to learn my name. It is one of the nicest things any teacher at school has done for me since I arrived. Today, I didn't feel like an outsider. I felt like every other kid in the classroom. And I felt respected.
Thank you, M. Flemal.
I like this very much.
ReplyDeleteGood story.