Samantha Randazzo

State Conference

Educators rising moment

 

My name is Samantha Randazzo, I am a senior in high school. Throughout my career as a student I have come to realize how truly important teachers are. From my position school has always been my safe place and teachers became my biggest supporters. 

Elementary school:  I severely struggled with understanding the lessons and concepts being taught by my teachers. My first grade teacher wanted to hold me back because she thought of me as a lost cause and didn’t wanna try and help me. Thankfully, my mom wouldn’t let her, which led me to struggle to fifth grade. I was having a really rough time at home with my family.  School became my safe place filled with people who loved and cared about me. I would have moved in if that meant I didn’t have to go home.

 

Middle school: Middle school sent its own group of challenges. In 7th grade, I found out that my grandma was really sick and that her heart valve was leaking again. She told us that she had to go through open heart surgery, sadly she passed away a little time after. What got me through it was my history teacher, he would have me talk through my feelings and then told me about her personal experiences with situations like these to let me know that I wasn’t alone. When 8th grade came around my mother found out that she was losing her job and we were moving to Kansas. I talked to my history teacher about it. He told me that I was going to experience things other won’t. He made me feel reassured and that everything would be okay. 

 

High school: My freshman year I was in a very abusive relationship. I was crying constantly, in or out of school. My math teacher was always there for me and when she would ask me how I was doing, I would start crying. She would pull me into her classroom so I would be safe. Then, my sophomore year brought my apartment fire. My science teacher, who was like my best friend, was the first person who was there to make sure I was okay, and looked out for me at school and got me socks and other little items that he knew were necessities.. Junior year happened but it brought me to my senior year. I was in a really bad spot at the beginning of the year, I was a danger to myself. I ended up going to talk to my counselor and she made it so I could tell my mom everything that has been going on with me. Now I’m getting the help that I need.

 

Look, I’m not here to ask for you to feel sorry for me or to take pity on me. I’m here in front of all of you to tell you that I know how important teachers really are. They are so underrated and under appreciated. The problem is that people don’t understand that teachers want to be there for them. Not just to give out grades or points, but for actual relationships and to give the safe environment us students need. I know there are a lot of other kids in school just like me. I want to be the one to help them just like so many teachers took the responsibility to be there for me. They all deserve it. 

Thank you