One of my 8th grade students is a remarkable soccer player. He might drop out of school to play soccer in Mexico but he has assured me he will continue to get an education. I pray that really is true. We were talking about where he practiced and how often. He told me he practices in Long Beach which I assumed was then a long drive. He replied “No, Miss, I live in Watts.” I chuckled thinking to myself “ I know you live in Watts…I know all about this city I work in.”
Another of my 6th grade students who is in after school tutoring suddenly started sobbing. I didn’t know what was wrong and it happened so suddenly I was confused. I let her go outside and write down what was upsetting her. I got this note back:
“I was going to tell you that everyday when I get after school I have to ride the bus but first I call my mom and tell her that I got on the bus and I’m almost getting there were I always have to stop on and she will be right there waiting for me and when I get off she will be right there waiting for me but today I was calling her when I got out of class but she won’t answer me and I don’t know where to get out.”
I was able to get her to calm down a little and she was able to tell me that it takes her over an hour to get home on the bus. It is often dark when she gets home and it is very scary for her. She has to do this alone and it is an incredibly lonely and scary thing for her. My heart broke for her, I wanted to take her home myself but it’s against the law. It killed me to know she does this almost daily and there isn’t an option for her. I am frustrated almost daily realizing the difficulties my students face that I never could have fathomed at 11 yrs old.
And lastly, we are focusing on “no bullying” the next few weeks. A student told our principal that he was considering committing suicide from the effects of being bullied on school grounds. I hate how cruel kids can be on top of the struggles of living in an inner-city community. This past Friday a student at a nearby high school got into a fight with her boyfriend. He attempted to strangle her and then stabbed her to death. My students all heard about it and addressing it was something I was unsure of. How do I walk through the difficult things with my kids while trying be transparent and honest. It was sticky but we did it. I hate this life that they know, I want to just shove it all away, this community so needs Jesus, nothing else can save them from the horrors they see and hear about daily.
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