Friday, March 04, 2005
The student of mine that went to Mexico for 5 weeks to bury his brother ("street kid" has been back in class for a couple of weeks now. He is doing really well...smiling, trying to do classwork, and completed his homework last night. He stays in the after school test preparation class and seems to be making every effort to change his life. He is known around the school as being a "problem". Teachers know him and most don't like him. I have made real progress with him and we've gotten to this nice, mellow teacher-student relationship. I have gotten through to him and he responds well with my ways of interaction and instruction (discussing problems rather than yelling about them).
Today we hit another road block. The students in general were a little wired today. We didn't have the best behaved day of the year, but we were still plugging through. After lunch the students went to the computer lab for their 45-minute computer class. The teacher usually likes them, but today was not their day. She got upset with my "street kid". When the class ended and I was back in control, I brought him over privately to try and unearth the problem. I told him I thought there was a miscommunication because he's been so good with me...nothing. He didn't respond and could barely look at me. That's when I noticed the tears...they were welling up in his eyes and about to drop down his face. I wasn't getting mad at him at all, I was trying to understand what happened to help make his day better. I took him into the hallway outside my classroom door so the other kids didn't see what was about to unfold. He cried...and cried. Big tears dropping from his big brown eyes. God, it broke my heart- I almost thought it had nothing to do with school, but about his brother. I tried to comfort him and get to the root of the problem, but he had no words for me. I asked him if he wanted to hang out with another teacher for a breather...no response. I asked if he wanted to talk with the guidance counselor or the assistant principal...nothing from him. I even asked if he wanted a hug, to wash his face, and take a small walk on the floor. Nothing at all from him but huge tears streaming out of his eyes and down his face. At that moment the parent coordinator happened to walk by. She is the one who organized the fundraiser for the child's family after the murder. She took him with her and when she called me for an update on his state of well-being, I was disgusted...
Apparently during computer class he and another kid were sharing nasty comments with each other. They were joking around and saying words not appropriate for school. The teacher singled him out and told him he was going to turn into a good for nothing kid. The kicker? She also told him he was going to end up in jail like his brother.
Jeez- that's a message to send a child who just lost his in-and-out-of-jail brother to a cold-blooded killer. No wonder he was crying and had no words. It's so sad the teacher could talk to a child that way. Yes, he may be a pain...but he's still a child! I'm disgusted to share a profession with this woman and have already talked to an assistant principal about the incident. Hope something will be done about this Monday.
Today we hit another road block. The students in general were a little wired today. We didn't have the best behaved day of the year, but we were still plugging through. After lunch the students went to the computer lab for their 45-minute computer class. The teacher usually likes them, but today was not their day. She got upset with my "street kid". When the class ended and I was back in control, I brought him over privately to try and unearth the problem. I told him I thought there was a miscommunication because he's been so good with me...nothing. He didn't respond and could barely look at me. That's when I noticed the tears...they were welling up in his eyes and about to drop down his face. I wasn't getting mad at him at all, I was trying to understand what happened to help make his day better. I took him into the hallway outside my classroom door so the other kids didn't see what was about to unfold. He cried...and cried. Big tears dropping from his big brown eyes. God, it broke my heart- I almost thought it had nothing to do with school, but about his brother. I tried to comfort him and get to the root of the problem, but he had no words for me. I asked him if he wanted to hang out with another teacher for a breather...no response. I asked if he wanted to talk with the guidance counselor or the assistant principal...nothing from him. I even asked if he wanted a hug, to wash his face, and take a small walk on the floor. Nothing at all from him but huge tears streaming out of his eyes and down his face. At that moment the parent coordinator happened to walk by. She is the one who organized the fundraiser for the child's family after the murder. She took him with her and when she called me for an update on his state of well-being, I was disgusted...
Apparently during computer class he and another kid were sharing nasty comments with each other. They were joking around and saying words not appropriate for school. The teacher singled him out and told him he was going to turn into a good for nothing kid. The kicker? She also told him he was going to end up in jail like his brother.
Jeez- that's a message to send a child who just lost his in-and-out-of-jail brother to a cold-blooded killer. No wonder he was crying and had no words. It's so sad the teacher could talk to a child that way. Yes, he may be a pain...but he's still a child! I'm disgusted to share a profession with this woman and have already talked to an assistant principal about the incident. Hope something will be done about this Monday.
