I was speaking to a colleague about a student I've been trying to help graduate. He's got a lot of strikes against him, especially right now. He has to be away from school because of his poor choices, but hopefully someday he can return to his studies. When I found out he accomplished something we'd been shooting for all year, I wanted to know if someone was in touch with his mom to let her know, as this would be a glimmer of hope in a dark time for him. I heard words that just break my heart: "She hates him and never has anything nice to say about him. She won't return our calls." I've was kind of sad all day after hearing those words. I know parents get frustrated, especially when they have one of "those" kids.
HOWEVER, he wouldn't have come to school almost every day and to my class almost every class if he wasn't interested in being a better person. I spent the year trying to help him see he can have a future and not have to be with the thugs. I could see some hope in his eyes when I spoke with him.
It all reminded me of this story I read as part of one of my education classes.
I wish I was able to tell the young man that I understand his hurt, his angst, and that lost feeling. I was one of those kids.
Just breaks my heart to see kids hurting, not to mention hurting themselves.
2 comments:
Wow. That really puts it in perspective.
How could parents do that to their children?
I don't know. It is painful to see some of the stuff my students experience. Even with the bad kids, most of the time, there is an outside circumstance fueling things. It's sad.
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