ALEXIS, Seattle, Washington, USA

High School Student 
Hispanic 
Male 
Will be the first in his family to go to college 


Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? 

A: To me, there are still a lot of things we don't know about our teachers.

As students, we go through a lot. We experience things that are either good or bad. We have teachers and our school staff that talk to us, who tell us that everything is gonna be alright and let us know that they are there for us. It is only at the time of disbelief and grief where we share that connection.

Most of them may be white and there may be more female than male teachers, but that doesn't matter to me. The connection that I have to my teachers is something else.

I also see it with other students as well. We are a small community where we all go to learn, to laugh, to share, and to express ourselves. Teachers are really there to help us no matter how troubled we are, whether we're stuck on a problem or we're going through some troubling times, they are there for us.

They laugh and even share some stuff that you never even knew you had in common with. I've also seen some teachers experience the same things that we do too. I see them talk about their personal lives, hear them make jokes. I've also seen some of my teachers at their lowest point.

We as a society treat our teachers as machines. We go in, sit down, learn, and move on to the next. But that is not true. We don't truly see what our teachers are.

I am truly grateful for the community that I am a part of. Teachers' experiences and knowing the things that we have or may not have in common has helped me do things that I may never have thought I was capable of. Like expressing myself and be able to share my story.


Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: I know that it may be hard for others to express themselves and I understand. But all I want for people to understand is that there a lot of things we don't know about our teachers, and it is difficult to make a connection with someone you may not know a lot about.

To me, it does matter that students and teachers have something in common. It builds that personal connection. And even though you may or may not have something in common with your teachers, it builds that sense of communication and trust. No matter who we or they are. No matter what race, gender, sexual orientation, or even who you are truly.

Having that connection turns a school into a community and makes our teachers and students into a family, no matter if you have something in common or not.


Connect with Alexis on Twitter @ASVideoGamer. 

Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong

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