Affirmation

I have a tough job. There is no way around it. The kids who walk into my classroom every day are challenged in so many ways it's hard to find the humor. One girl has multiple infections in her abdomen of unknown origins. One has been in the hospital with kidney stones - she's 15! One boy is a felon and will never be able to vote. One simply wants to use class time to sleep. One student yesterday was telling me how his mom smoked marijuana with him the night before. I have one student whose mother pretends doesn't exist. I found this out during parent teacher conferences. She came in to discuss her daughter (whom I do NOT have in class) and totally ignored any reference to her son. I recently had a visit from a social worker. She wanted to discuss a student who is bitter about being exited out of special education. During the conversation, she mentioned that people in the court system have heard about me and the classes I teach. From their perspective, and from what they hear from parents and kids, I am doing a great job. Sometimes, you just need to hear it.