It is not very
often that big things happen in a small town like Ashland, but often little things
make a big difference. So often when I see my students walk through the door to
the dorm on Sunday night they come not just with physical baggage. Seeing the
struggles that many of them face sometimes it is hard to feel like I can make a
difference, but everyday my amazing students remind me of why I’m here. It is the
everyday experiences that may seem small to some, but I can see that in the eyes
of many of the students is big. Recently something pretty big happened at St.
Labre. There was a school wide initiative to raise money for the St. Baldricks
foundation by having people raise money to have individuals around campus buzz their
heads. Somehow my students convinced me to become involved so the deal became
if they raised over $400 they could buzz my head, and even add some cool
designs. They had a couple weeks to raise the money and in the end they raised
$407 that would go toward childhood cancer research. The week of the
buzz-a-thon event on Thursday night one of the dormitory students buzzed my
head in the middle of the dorm while everyone stood around and watched. It was
great to hear everyone cheer as all my hair got buzzed off and they added some awesome
zig-zags and lines into my hair once it was buzzed. It was an incredible experience
to have all the students surround me and support this crazy endeavor to create awareness
and raise money for a good cause. Although it is still a little weird that my
hair drives in a minute I love my new haircut and love the reminder of that
wonderful experience every time I look in the mirror. It has definitely given
me a lot of street cred as I now get comments from the students like “now you’re
a thug for life EJ!” or “your hair is pimpin”. It is just one more experience
that has left me feeling like I belong in this community and with my students,
and has shown me that little things can make a big difference.
I have fallen in
love with the students here and this community and it is because big things can
happen. The dormitory is its own special family where the students and staff
care about each other. Even though I am so different from the students I serve
I feel like I am part of the dorm family. Some of my favorite moments have been
when I’ve been able to relax and have fun with the students, and it is always
wonderful when that can be connected to learning. This past week I helped a
couple boys write sonnets for English class and I never would have thought I
would have so much fun working on poetry with freshman boys in high school.
They wrote poems about basketball, their shoes, and their snap-back hats and
the rhymes were definitely unique. I don’t know that Shakespeare would have
used “super fly” as an end rhyme in his pomes, but it certainly made sense for
some of my students. In those small moments when what I do is appreciated and
full of joy I realize that being here big things are happening to me. I’m
changing and becoming a better person with greater understanding, because as
much as I help my students they also help me. Every day they help me grow in
patience and compassion, and I am so thankful for the great moments I have
everyday living in this beautiful small town of Ashland.
It is not very
often that big things happen in a small town like Ashland, but often little things
make a big difference. So often when I see my students walk through the door to
the dorm on Sunday night they come not just with physical baggage. Seeing the
struggles that many of them face sometimes it is hard to feel like I can make a
difference, but everyday my amazing students remind me of why I’m here. It is the
everyday experiences that may seem small to some, but I can see that in the eyes
of many of the students is big. Recently something pretty big happened at St.
Labre. There was a school wide initiative to raise money for the St. Baldricks
foundation by having people raise money to have individuals around campus buzz their
heads. Somehow my students convinced me to become involved so the deal became
if they raised over $400 they could buzz my head, and even add some cool
designs. They had a couple weeks to raise the money and in the end they raised
$407 that would go toward childhood cancer research. The week of the
buzz-a-thon event on Thursday night one of the dormitory students buzzed my
head in the middle of the dorm while everyone stood around and watched. It was
great to hear everyone cheer as all my hair got buzzed off and they added some awesome
zig-zags and lines into my hair once it was buzzed. It was an incredible experience
to have all the students surround me and support this crazy endeavor to create awareness
and raise money for a good cause. Although it is still a little weird that my
hair drives in a minute I love my new haircut and love the reminder of that
wonderful experience every time I look in the mirror. It has definitely given
me a lot of street cred as I now get comments from the students like “now you’re
a thug for life EJ!” or “your hair is pimpin”. It is just one more experience
that has left me feeling like I belong in this community and with my students,
and has shown me that little things can make a big difference. 
I have fallen in
love with the students here and this community and it is because big things can
happen. The dormitory is its own special family where the students and staff
care about each other. Even though I am so different from the students I serve
I feel like I am part of the dorm family. Some of my favorite moments have been
when I’ve been able to relax and have fun with the students, and it is always
wonderful when that can be connected to learning. This past week I helped a
couple boys write sonnets for English class and I never would have thought I
would have so much fun working on poetry with freshman boys in high school.
They wrote poems about basketball, their shoes, and their snap-back hats and
the rhymes were definitely unique. I don’t know that Shakespeare would have
used “super fly” as an end rhyme in his pomes, but it certainly made sense for
some of my students. In those small moments when what I do is appreciated and
full of joy I realize that being here big things are happening to me. I’m
changing and becoming a better person with greater understanding, because as
much as I help my students they also help me. Every day they help me grow in
patience and compassion, and I am so thankful for the great moments I have
everyday living in this beautiful small town of Ashland. 