I have this young man in my advisory first thing in the morning. He has grabbed my heart this year even though he frequently misses advisory and, for that matter, also misses a lot of school in general. His grades falter because of missing school, but he really does care. Each time I give him extra time, he is thankful although I'll be the first to admit the work doesn't always come in. Recently, it came up in his writing (journal maybe) that he has family in the Hiawatha Homeless Encampment. When we discussed interviewing someone for our upcoming culture project, he was at a loss. I suggested that he talk to a family member in the encampment about their culture. In this case, I wasn't merely talking about the American Indian Culture of pow wows but a deeper culture caused by decades of being a marginalized people. Although I didn't use these words with him, this young man is intelligent, and I think he understood. The encampment has closed, but I feel he is still going to try to reach out to his uncle who was in the encampment. Anyway, I'm writing about this young man today because once again, he reached out to get help with his grades from a staff member. He told another teacher that a current class he is in makes him feel stupid (students in it low with behavioral issues), and he wants to be in a class that will help him get his grade up. I hope we can make this happen. Of course, I'll be doing some investigating tonight. This kid is amazing! He's going to make it even with all of the obstacles in his life.
Comments
Kudos, Kid.