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Walking into the classroom for the first time
with all the children just staring back in front of me
was a very overwhelming experience.
I was trying to get across that
this is our learning environment,
this is what we are here to do.
We are here to learn math,
we're here to learn physics.
I can make a real change, and that's what I'm doing.
Because I have these kids' futures
in my hands.
I love the language of math that Physics uses.
I love how motion can be modeled mathematically.
I want to share that, like this is a piece of knowledge
that not many people have, but you can have this.
And it's not like it's only for a certain set of people,
it's just people choose to pursue it
and you can pursue this knowledge.
Just being able to share with them that excitement,
they feed off of it;
showing them the fun things that Physics has to offer,
because Physics is fun!
This year we have one of the largest classes
that the school has ever had.
In the past, there have been 2 students,
there have been 4 students.
This year I have 18 Physics students
and all of them are looking towards college.
I'm trying to hurry up
and get them there.
My hopes and dreams for these kids are that
they learn to love education.
And then not only will they learn to love education,
but they will go and they will reciprocate
that love in their community.
And just to create that ripple effect,
that's what I want to do.
It can happen, and it does happen.
And it is happening.
And that's the only way that I feel
a community can rise,
and I feel like I'm doing that
through Teach for America.
They know that they're smart kids,
and I have to tell them all the time
it's not about being smart,
it's about working hard.
It doesn't matter where you come from.
I came from the same communities
that they came through,
and you can grow up
and you can do whatever you want
and math and science will get you there.
They have seen something that they'd never seen before.
They ask me, 'Ms. Clay, what college did you go to?'
'Grinnell College.' 'Where is that?'
'In Iowa.'
And then they'll look at me like, 'In Iowa?'
And then for me to be able to share that with them,
and open that as a possibility to them
and it makes them think, well,
this can happen.
And they're interested in it,
they're interested in Grinnell,
they're interested in my life and what I've done
and letting them know, okay,
well you can do this too.
I believe that they can feel that energy from me
and say okay, she means business.
I own the joint now.
The classroom is mine,
this is my ground now.