The little things

Wife's latest blog post in connection with something that happened yesterday at school really made me stop and think. This has been a rough school year for a lot of people in a lot of ways. Wife has to parents who freak out when their kids don't get A's in AP English and co-workers who make her life difficult. KJPM has kids who threaten her, throw chairs and spit at teachers. Shannon has kids who try to burn the building down and "act like animals." I have great kids but a weak, spineless principal and a "lynch-squad" of parents who are out to villainize the English department. Most recently we were told that from now on when we want to adopt a new book, it has to be approved by a board of parents and priests (one in particular who called our curriculum drivel and said numerous other highly insulting things.)

It's so easy to get caught up in all that crap. I've been dreading going to school and half afraid to open my email for fear of what emails might wait for me. I've been thinking more and more that I have to get out of this profession. I've applied to two full-time writing jobs, one located in NJ, one located LA. I don't even know what I'd do if one of them bites.

So, with all this shit going on, it's easy to forget about the kids in some ways. The kids that I really like. The kids that maybe I HAVE made a bit of a difference for.

I was sitting in my classroom during last period yesterday while my English II class was watching a movie. I had my back to the class and was working on the computer when some one comes up and hugs me. I turned to find that it was a student I'd had last year who was kicked out of the school over the summer. I liked this kid a lot last year and was really sorry that he'd been expelled (or "asked not to come back" if you want to use the euphemism). He was in my journalism class and was the kid that a lot of other teachers didn't like and had written off as a screw-up. He's in a band, really into hardcore music and I've run into him at shows on multiple times. I didn't see him as a screw-up and tried to help him see that he doesn't have to "live down" to the expectations and views other teachers have of him. I guess in some way I must have done a little bit right because he seemed genuinely happy to see me, we chatted for a good 10-15 minutes about music, books and the like.

He seems to be happier at his new school which is good. It sounds like he's doing well in English and he likes his teacher, which is also good. I hope he goes to college, I think he's very capable of it.

Anyways, that little visit made a lot of difference in my day. I'm still not convinced that staying in teaching for the long term is in my future, but it was a good reminder of what I should try and focus on for the moment. Unfortunately, all the other shit makes it so hard to do that...