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This post was inspired by another post I had read. The blogger was talking about the poverty that most children face outside of school. It really made me think how much we depersonalize ourselves in the classroom. It seems that we are expected to check in all our problems at the door before we enter the classroom. This of course is not limited simply to the students, but also the teachers. Don’t get me wrong. It is ideal for the teacher and student to leave their family and personal issues at the door so that they can focus on their school work, but sometimes that is not as easy as it seems. I’ve gone through a lot and I’m sure everyone else has too. Even right now as you read this you can name a number of things that has impacted your life in a great way and at the same time made it difficult for you to focus in school. You can’t simply turn off the switch and forget about things. It is rather difficult. I think what we should do as future teachers is become aware that many of our students will have issues that we may have had or problems that are foreign to us. After we become aware of these issues… most likely founded on a good relationship between student and teacher… the teacher can channel their emotions into a more positive outlet that will not only help the student cope with the issue, but also learn something about themselves. Let’s not leave our problems at the door, but let us use our experiences to foster our learning.