The Reality Is…

Friday, March 5th, 2010 | Random Thoughts

My last post was quite positive. This is a fun time of the school year. You should see my classroom. We’ve conducted class surveys, set semester long goals (and they’re hanging on a tree at the back of the room), learned how to buy a car, analyzed class data, and figured out what percentage of our day we spend doing various things. However, this is one of the darkest times of the school year. The newness of the beginning of 2nd semester has worn off. The teachers and their styles are totally “old news” (even the ones who play games most days!). Eighth grade promotion is still months away. This is perhaps the most discouraging quarter of the school year. I try and stay positive. I know God blesses me everyday with the strength and excitement I need to work with middle schoolers. The reality is, however, life at the middle school level is sometimes demoralizing. Here is a summary of the “tough” events from the week:

  • I submitted 3rd quarter progress reports this afternoon.  30 of my 120 kids are failing.  25% of my students are failing!!  Where have I gone wrong?  “You can lead a horse to water…yada, yada, yada.”  It just makes me sad.
  • 50 of my students (including the 30 above) will be getting a progress report because they are earning a C- or below.  )-:
  • I had a girl in one period suspended today for buying marijuana.  She bought it from one of the top students in the school.
  • I have a boy in one of my classes who was suspended all last week for selling weed.  He missed all of my classes again this week, simply because he did not come to school.  And, may I mention, he has a tattoo on his forearm that his mom approved of him getting.  *sigh*
  • Another boy ditched my class twice this week.  He was here at school earlier and his friends came looking for him after school, but he just thinks he doesn’t need to attend my class.  (I’m pretty sure he’s high many days as well).
  • I have a girl who stole $53 worth of books from the school book fair today.  She stole books!
  • Another one of my students (a boy) went to a teacher friend today to tell him a girl in his social group is making fun of him calling him a “fag” and “gay.”  He was so distraught he literally sat in my friend’s classroom and cried!

My heart simply aches for these kids!  Dear Jesus, am I having any influence on these precious beings You’ve created?  I worked 52 hours this week FOR MY KIDS.  Not that I regret it.  I just am so sad that so many of them come from situations where life really is that bad.  Oh, God, send some mercy into my classroom.  May it be a safe place for these kids who long for so much more than this life on earth can give.  Amen.

1 Comment to The Reality Is…

Megan Mills
March 6, 2010

Wow. Those kids are going through some difficult things at such a young age! I love your perspective- you are clearly a ray of sunshine in that school!

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