‘Paper Girls’ and Who We Are to Our Younger Selves

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In 2015, I was teaching high-school students in New York. I worked at a nonprofit that partnered with local schools, and my class taught concepts such as growth mindset, social capital, perseverance—the kinds of ideas that are generally outside of traditional curriculums. The students looked up to me, especially the boys. I fit the bill of a strong, positive role model: an assertive, educated, young Black man who could relate to them. We had heart-to-heart conversations, and they often shared things with me that they said they didn’t feel comfortable sharing with their other teachers. A popular student, John, once sat with me in a stairwell and told me about his struggles at home and how they were affecting him in school. I cherished my role in those students’ lives.