Lacameria Clark Reflection

I first came in contact with LaCameria Clark when I become a teacher assistant in her eleventh grade English class. We would share the occasional joke and moments of encouragement. One day she asked if I could look over her essay before she turned it in to her teacher. The first essay was not fully developed, however she insisted that I read it and tell her my thoughts. I did exactly that. After I was done reading the start of her essay, I just stared at her. I did not have much positive feedback to give to her. I could tell it was not her best work. I felt as though she was not explaining her ideas clearly and her commentary on her evidence was not as strong as her contributions to class discussions. I suggested that she should write more before I share my …show more content…
The student’s engagement increased and the leader of that movement was LaCameria. She constantly raised her hand to contribute to discussions and even asked teammates to explain their ideas. Throughout that semester I was able to see LaCameria blossom into a knowledge seeking leader. She strived to always present her best self and perform at her highest potential. I am a tough grader, so LaCameria would ironically ask me to look over her work days before submission. One day after class, LaCameria asked me to look over her Harlem Renaissance paper before she submitted it the following week. I reminded her of our first interaction and her response to the feedback I gave her then. She stared at the ground for a second and then replied, “I haven’t had a lot of Black teachers. I did not know you that well back then, but now I know that you push me to do my best and I appreciate that about you. I apologize for my former immature remarks.” I agreed to look over her paper. I had never met a student that was ever that honest with me. Even though LaCameria did not receive the highest grade on that assignment, she never stopped asking for