Real World Hazards of Teaching
I always thought it could never be me, never be my school, never be my district. This one has hit way too close to home. The high school that our middle school feeds into.
She is not someone I know, although I might recognize her if I were to see her. Chances are we have been at the same meeting at some point in time. She's not someone I've taught with, although she very well could have been. Moves between middle school and high school are done regularly, especially in the arts areas. She's a colleague, somebody's friend, somebody's co-worker. Soon I'll discover that I know someone who does know her. A friend of a friend. It's happened here.
The perpetrator (according to those who know, because no one is telling the name of a juvenile) is not from our school, but he went to middle school somewhere. He's not someone I know or have known, but I may have a dozen more almost like him.
Last week I ran into a former student working at a local crafts store. He recognized me and inquired about other teachers and the school. He's out of prison now having served his time for accessory to murder. He was a passenger in a car from which a drive-by was committed. And there are others that we know about. Crimes committed after leaving our hallowed halls. The rapist who ran to Mexico. The murderer who served time in a mental hospital. Not to mention the armed robber of convenience stores and gas stations. Those are the ones we hear about, recognize the names in the paper.
Then there are the National Merit Scholars. The graduates from college who choose teaching as a profession. Other graduates who contribute to society in various ways. These students too pass through our hallowed halls on their way to other things, getting on with life.
Dear God, help us as public school teachers to nurture the good in students, to teach character and ethics along with reading, writing and mathematics. Help us to care enough to attempt to alleviate the pain that some experience, to recognize the call for help before it is too late. And God, give us hope. We need an extra measure of Faith, Hope and Charity. By Your Grace!!
She is not someone I know, although I might recognize her if I were to see her. Chances are we have been at the same meeting at some point in time. She's not someone I've taught with, although she very well could have been. Moves between middle school and high school are done regularly, especially in the arts areas. She's a colleague, somebody's friend, somebody's co-worker. Soon I'll discover that I know someone who does know her. A friend of a friend. It's happened here.
The perpetrator (according to those who know, because no one is telling the name of a juvenile) is not from our school, but he went to middle school somewhere. He's not someone I know or have known, but I may have a dozen more almost like him.
Last week I ran into a former student working at a local crafts store. He recognized me and inquired about other teachers and the school. He's out of prison now having served his time for accessory to murder. He was a passenger in a car from which a drive-by was committed. And there are others that we know about. Crimes committed after leaving our hallowed halls. The rapist who ran to Mexico. The murderer who served time in a mental hospital. Not to mention the armed robber of convenience stores and gas stations. Those are the ones we hear about, recognize the names in the paper.
Then there are the National Merit Scholars. The graduates from college who choose teaching as a profession. Other graduates who contribute to society in various ways. These students too pass through our hallowed halls on their way to other things, getting on with life.
Dear God, help us as public school teachers to nurture the good in students, to teach character and ethics along with reading, writing and mathematics. Help us to care enough to attempt to alleviate the pain that some experience, to recognize the call for help before it is too late. And God, give us hope. We need an extra measure of Faith, Hope and Charity. By Your Grace!!
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/750245,elgin012008.article
