How do you measure the impact you have had on a place and community? Have you made a difference? Caused someone to see the world in a new way? Will you be missed?...really, how do you measure that? Sometimes I feel like people expect to hear that you've done something really amazing or wonderful - that you've made a huge impact on the place you have served in...when the truth for me is it's not really like that. I've spent my days at church and in the school but I haven't done anything extraordinary - nothing that I wouldn't have done at home with the same opportunities, but I think that is okay. I have to say some of my favorite things this year are the random hugs children surprise me with, getting them to giggle about silly things, teaching some of them that art doesn't have to be a masterpiece to be fun or that messing up doesn't mean something is ruined, getting them to realize that adults don't know everything, watching students triumph over old problems (you know... that light bulb moment), and learning about the lives of my friends (the teachers I work with). None of these things are extraordinary - quite the opposite in fact. These are everyday moments. The thing about everyday moments though is that they can change how someone views a day, week or year. In all reality my students will probably only remember me as that American teacher they had when they were little - they won't think 'wow, that woman changed my life' or 'without her I wouldn't be where I am today'...but they probably will remember that year 6 was fun. They went on neat trips, learned lots of things and had nice teachers. I haven't changed their worlds but it is enough for me that they will look back on this year positively...I got to help them have fun.
So how do you measure the impact you have had on a place and community? I'm choosing to measure it by the little girl I helped to finally understand multiplying by 10, the little boy who always tells me he is going to visit Ohio, the children who know me by name and say hello that I've never met, and the sounds the children make when they realize I will be leaving before the year is through....that is impact enough for me.
