Sitting in my second grade classroom, eight year-old me was prepared only for the basic lesson planned for that day. Writing, math, reading— I cannot remember. What I can remember, however, is the short lady in a green dress that entered shortly after. A stranger, wearing droopy earrings and glasses to the end of her nose quickly made herself known to the beaming, curious eyes of fifteen second graders, and soon after asked for me and some other students to come with her. Hesitantly, the other students and I rose to follow the strange woman down the hall into a small, unmarked yellow room. In response to our quietness, “I assure you,” she said, “you are not in any kind of trouble.”
As we entered the room, we were greeted by a couple small desks and chairs fitting for our eight year old bodies. After sitting down, we hoped to finally gain some clarity in regards to our situation. “Helllllllllllo! My name is Mrs. _____,” she said, “and you have all been brought here because your teachers think that you are very talented for your age.” She went on to explain that we were selected for the enrichment program, where we would receive work in reading, writing, and math that would be more fitting for our level of learning. As a lower-class student attending a primarily upper middle-class school, I was used to usually never being at the top of any social situation, so this news was a shock to me. Sitting alongside me was some of my favorite classmates, all looking as excited as me. The prospect of me being on top was foreign to me, but the undertaking seemed like a good challenge, so I accepted. Over the years, those classmates would prove to be some of my greatest allies. From elementary to high school, and from high school to today, we have used each other for help and support.
The program itself has to this day benefitted me greatly, as through it I gained a true passion for learning. The writing assignments and readings helped me better explain my thinking in ways I couldn’t before. This intrigued me, and has served as a backbone to my love for education throughout the years.
