I remember the days when I was a kid. I mean, one could argue that I am a kid now, a 20 year old college student who spends his free time binge drinking and talking inappropriately with his friends. Although, the kid I meant was the kind who complains about having to do something he doesn’t want to do. I am talking about the kid who makes a mess of his lunch, carelessly staining his shirt with ketchup. I am talking about the kid that argues over cutting in line, or who was playing with the toy first. I am talking about the kid who lacks basic knowledge more than the average person, someone who is currently learning their times tables while in school. I am talking about that kid. Oh, I remember it too. But hey, I was just a kid, like any other kid.

It was the fall semester of my junior year attending VCU, I decided I wanted to try something new. That’s when I made the decision to apply for AmeriCorps, where I now tutor and mentor 5th and 6th graders after school. Ever since day one, I have absolutely loved my job. I love the environment, co-workers, and most importantly, I love the kids. They are just kids, every single one of them. Boys and girls, tall and short, skinny and chubby, quiet and loud, white, black, Hispanic, Asian; they are all just children. It is with every single one of them, somewhere deep in their hearts, there is the intelligence, willpower, and strength, to succeed and change the world. However, as of right now, we just have to let them be who they are…kids.

Take one of my 5th graders, for instance: Gabe. Gabe is a smart kid, very smart in fact. He has never been in any serious trouble at school, and has never had any issues with his grades. That comes to show that he studies for his tests, and he does his homework. Nevertheless, once he gets his homework back, there is a pretty good chance he will fold it up into a paper airplane. Hell, sometimes he’ll build a paper medieval sword. That’s what he likes doing. That’s what makes him happy. He’s just a kid.

Take one of my 6th graders, Tylise. Oh, she has come to show great leadership as a student, leadership I have never seen before, and certainly not something I would take up back when I was that age. Tylise is a tenacious, persistent, adamant, and also bright young girl. She turns away any influences that potentially have an effect on her decision making, and she remains faithful to her insistent attitude she has on others, qualities that are visibly seen in her character. Sometimes, Tylise will run up to me and catch me by surprise. She will then grab my arm and ask me to skip with her down the hallway. Why does she do this? I don’t know. It makes her laugh, and I’ll have to admit, it makes me laugh too. She’s just a kid.

Another one of the kids I work with is Natalie. She is a very smart person and shows that she wants to succeed. She has no problem sitting down and doing her homework as everyone is supposed to do during study hall. However, all it takes is the smallest ounce of noise, like tapping a pencil, humming, or shaking one’s leg, and you will have a taste of her sensitive side. Natalie will immediately think she is in trouble if I so dare call out her name for whatever reason. When some of the students are working on poems, she comes crying to me, saying she is having a difficult time figuring out what to put in her poem. She will then plop herself down on the floor, place her head in her arms, and pout. She’s just a kid.

I work with many young children, well not many in comparison to how many a teacher handles, but a lot in comparison to the average person, or college student I should say. Every single one of these children has a personality, a personality consisting of traits, attributes, and qualities. The diverse array of the many different unique personalities owned by these kids, it’s actually quite astounding. I work with kids who have funny, goofy, shy, quiet, obnoxious, loud, and even dramatic personalities. Don’t even get me started on the gossip with boys.

I’m honestly not quite sure what made me do it, what influenced me to take up a tutoring and mentoring position working with kids. Well, the fact that I enjoy working with kids, that I can say for sure. Nonetheless, not many people would agree that a mass communications degree really falls under that job title. So, what made me do it? Perhaps, it’s because I remember the days of when I was a young kid, in elementary and middle school. I remember what it was like to need help on my homework, or even just need help in general with getting through life. I remember what it was like growing up while having to look up to someone as a role model, as an essential component of my well being. I remember the times where I needed nothing more than someone to be there for me, when I needed a friend. The kids who I work with now, I remember being their age, and I stand here today as a college student, and it’s now that I am able to compare the striking differences on the way I looked at the life and the world all around. So, to answer the question of what made me take up this commitment, working to shape the lives of our children, I have a responsibility. To answer the question of why I choose to commit my time with the little things of homework tutoring, and the big things of hearing them out on their family troubles at home, I have a responsibility. To answer your question of why I spend hours working out math problems with Mason, due to math not being his strongest suit, and sitting down with Kevin and hearing him out on his experiences as a victim of bullying, I have a responsibility.

They are just kids, and so was I.

I have the responsibility of joining the walk in assuring the futures of our children. The world needs our children, and our children needs us, more than ever in fact. These kids are absolutely amazing bright human beings, all different and unique in their own way. Every time I walk in that school, I am looking at miracles who have the potential to impact and change the world in ways that are more than just extraordinary. I am looking at the faces of a bright future for this planet, walking, talking, breathing, unique human beings who need us, while we need them.

Gabe, who is big on the paper airplanes, one day he will become a mechanical engineer. Tylise, the leader, one day she will run for President of the United States. Michael, the master of poetry, one day he will stand center stage as the country’s biggest rapper. Zimri, the guy who loves his time tables, one day he will become a mathematician. Jazz, the one who loves to paint and draw, one day he will become an artist. These kids, every single one of them, will one day be the people we currently are. Right now…