Originally Posted by
BCGroup
For background, I've worked in education for almost 30 years, including teaching at risk students in grades 6-9. Just before Christmas, we discovered that a friend of our son was living on the streets. There is a long history of drug use by mom, abuse, etc. At 16 he left and had been on the streets. He's been with us since Dec 21. There is no way to describe the culture he is from, even prior to the homelessness. For him, it is natural to cuss out a teacher, fight to defend yourself, etc. He has never known a stable family life, and he came from no rules to family rules, school rules, etc. We have had so many ups and downs, including helping him get treatment for ADHD, seeing him break up with a girlfriend who (thankfully) was not pregnant, helping him stop smoking, and teaching him to respect school authorities, including the teachers. Six weeks ago, he said he might as well not be in school because his father told him he would fail. He also learned he was reading at a pretty low level, which he said was fine, sine he "hates reading.". Today, Wed., the following has happened: the medicine and counseling is kicking in, his midterm report is full of Cs, which would be As and Bs except for absences. In one course that he hated and knew he would fail, he's doing fine and has been asked by the teacher to help other students. He regularly studies with us as long as we make it fun. And tonight, he read a book for 20 minutes without looking up. He has a new girlfriend (and they are dating age-appropriately with no worries of pregnancy) and he is talking about a future after he graduates. He is also planning a summer lawn service job. There are still ups and downs, but we are seeing solid progress, and so are his teachers. Oh, he is also now a DBR fan because the kitten on the front page today is mine, who he has adopted. For all the teachers, you do make a difference, even when you don't think so. And even if you feel like you are dipping water from the ocean with a spoon, you never know what impact you are having. We happen to be lucky enough to see it and share it with his teachers.