My Supports

To be upheld and supported is the greatest assurance one can have. We cannot walk this world alone. We need the support in the form of help, encouragement and guidance from our family, our friends, our faith, our colleagues, our neighbors, our society. Looking into my life, I know I need and receive supports of various kinds, be it in the form of physical support, or emotional support or practical support, on a daily basis. All the supports I receive are so very vital to me. I could not manage a day with these supports. My husband who supports me by his understanding when I sit to do my assignments, with his physical support like when he drives me to my place of work , with his emotional support by standing by me when I am feeling down, My mother who is not only a great physical and emotional support in taking care of my 13 year old mentally challenged son but also a source of encouragement and inspiration to me with her words of wisdom and expression of confidence in me, My principal by mentoring to me and my colleagues who have been very understanding and patient with me giving me their time when I needed to interview them as part of my assignment, My church members who not only helped lay the foundation on which I stand but still supports me with their prayer especially in relation to my son. Above all, my God who has promised to never forsake me nor leave me but support me by being my refuge and strength, assisting me, directing me and managing the outcomes so faithfully in my journey are just a few examples of the personal supports I receive. Were I to name each and every support I receive from them it would outnumber the pages and I would not be able to recall each of them as we surround ourselves with the supports that can only come in numbers. Besides these supports there are the supports I receive from inanimate objects like technology, a grocery list or to do list. I am a very list oriented person like most women. I cannot schedule a day without a ‘to do list’. Without these supports I would feel lost, the road ahead would seem foggy, twisted and scary.  

One possible challenge I can imagine in my future is trying to advocate for the cause of young children, implementing a child centered curriculum and supporting the child’s home language. I would not be able to do this by myself. I would need the support of my principal and colleagues. I would definitely require the support of the parents. From my previous experience, I know how some non English parents feel about teaching their children their home language. They send their children to school hoping their children would immediately start speaking fluent English to be able to stay in par with the society. As a staff myself, I think we would need the administration’s support by facilitating teacher’s growth through carefully planned professional development, and by advocating for the possibilities and benefits of multilingualism. Research suggests that bilingual children may develop more flexibility in their thinking, can promote literacy and knowledge, and increase their self esteem. Without the understanding and the cooperation from the people involved these adaptations would not be possible and education would not be meaningful and accessible to all children.