scattered thoughts... but worth a read

this deserved its own post...

one of my seniors from last year - the one that i fought tooth and nail for in staff meetings (the one that the principal washed his hands of) - finally graduated this past week. thank god. it's amazing to me how the students can touch your life in ways that they don't even know was possible. i'm sure that this kid doesn't know that i'll remember him for the rest of my teaching career. how could he imagine that i understood his rebellion, his desire to hurt his parents by not excelling academically... that i knew how much it crushed him to fail and to know that it was his responsibility, his choice, to fail? i'm sure that all he saw was some strange white girl, barely older than him, who wouldn't stop saying the phrase "i know you can do this. i won't let you fail in my room" over and over... despite all of his efforts to dissuade me. he broke my heart by not putting forth the effort in other classrooms and not walking with his class, and he made me fly by choosing to push himself and finally succeeding... all in the same year... so much emotional turbulence, so easy to get drawn into their lives and struggles. but he made it... even if he did keep my copy of nikki giovanni's new book of poetry.