As a Public Ally Fellow at Eagle Rock School, I’m learning something new everyday. I’m constantly being challenged, and I continue to ask myself tough questions to encourage personal growth. That being said, my most recent interactions have encouraged me to really practice patience with the students I’m working with. Not every student is motivated, has the skills that I may expect or feels the way that I do about a subject. These lessons are important for me to keep in mind when working with a class… especially during one on one work. During a conversation with a student earlier today, they decided to let me know that they chose to “only think of themselves,” and they didn’t need to “adopt altruism.” The student then proceeded to speak about their stoicism toward the suffering of not only to strangers, but to their friends as well. This interaction was frustrating and saddening. It was odd to me that someone could have this much apathy toward the life around them. Then I tried to put myself in the students shoes and realized that I, to the contrary, subscribe to a more tolerant and giving way of life. I started to realize that I couldn’t blame someone for feeling this way.When I responded, I made it clear that I didn’t understand, but I was trying to. And that I am coming from a place that allows me to be more forgiving and compassionate. I don’t think that there was necessarily anything wrong with this students way of living, but rather I encouraged the student to reflect on how the outside would see them if they continued in their ways. And also to think about the effect they were having on their friends.I’m not sure if this helped… but I did see the student continue to sit in, what looked like, deep thought about the conversation that we just had.The rest of the Trimester and my time as an Eagle Rock Fellow will be interesting. And I’m looking forward to many more conversations about “adopting altruism.”