My name is
Mr. Cordero, and it’s been my pleasure to be Room 51's fifth grade teacher. This year we learned a lot: language, art, math, science, history, technology, music,
but it’s my hope that the life lessons learned in my class will be what my
students remember for the rest of their lives.
My emphasis was on the three E’s:
Effort, Empathy, and Excellence.
Two quotes
that we learned about effort are “Nothing will work unless you do” and “Whether
you believe you can or believe you can’t, you are absolutely right.” Both of these have the message that you get
out what you put in, not just at school but in life. We may not always feel like it, but as Muhammad Ali said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life like a champion."
This year we
read a book called “Wonder” about a boy with a cranial facial difference who
goes to school for the first time and has to endure not just being the new kid
at a public school but also the teasing and taunting of bullies due to his appearance. One quote from the book that
really spoke to us was, “When given the choice between being right and being
kind, choose kind.” In other words, kindness is a
choice we all have. And sometimes in life, it’s the
most difficult choice to make. But if we choose to be just a little “kinder than necessary,” someone, some day may recognize the face of God in us.
Finally, we
learned about excellence. We all want to
be great in life. And the wonderful
thing is, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us how. He said, “Everyone can be great because
everyone can serve.” That means if
you’re living your life for others, serving, you are already great. I believe all my students are the greatest.
These are
just three life lessons that I think are important.
Here to share her three life lessons is Marlene
Ramirez.
