After 4th Week

It has now been four weeks and I am still loving my job! I have had an emotional week but now feel more of a vested interest in my kids.
Last saturday I volunteered for Project Prevail to Graduation walk. We walked through the neighborhoods and knocked on the doors of those students that had not shown up to school yet to try to get them to come and register for classes. It was difficult to see the abandoned houses, trailer parks, and poorly maintained homes. I felt an attachment to my students just walking up t the houses and making contact with the community. I know that these kids are coming to school with some real issues and I now have a better understanding of what life is like for them before they see me in the morning and what they go home to at night. The project was a success if only for the fact that the community members are able to see that we care about the kids in the community and want them in school.
This week there was a fight after school in my hallway. At about 5pm I could hear a girl crying hysterically and people yelling. I got goosebumps as I peaked outside of my room. A girl was hunched over crying so hard that her face seemed to be distorted and I could barely make out her words, "Leave me alone! I hate you! You don't love me! I am not going anywhere with you!" She was holding on to a doorknob a few doors down and was being pulled at the waist by another girl that had a crazed look on her face (eyes glazed over and bugged out) At first glance, I thought that both of these girls were ones with special needs based on their behavior. I thought, "Where is the special ed teacher?" Before I knew it, they were hitting each other and the thuds of them falling on the ground boomed in my chest. I walked closer to them and even though I was scared, I was going to try to break it up. Luckily, our assistant principal was running toward and calling out one of the girls names. The girl whom had been crying finally broke away, ran down the hall and out the main entrance to the school. The other took a moment to get her bearings and then started to run after her. She stumbled and fell on her face before running out to follow. Apparently, this was the girls' mother! Looking no older than the crying teenager, the intoxicated mother had come up to the school and was beating her child in public! I knew that these kids were going to have issues...I mean, they are teenagers. But I this was an eye-opening experience that made my heart sink. Now I know I am where I am supposed to be... at a place where I can do the most good...making a positive impact in their lives is what makes my job rewarding. We, as teachers, may be the only encouraging and stable people that they see, the only smile they get, and the only encouragement that their lives are worth something.
Thursday night was open house and there were a measly 75 chairs set up in the cafeteria for a PTA meeting to kick off the night. Other teachers had told me that I might have 1 or 2 students that bring their parents to meet me...5 at the most. To my surprise and that of my fellow teachers, I had ten students bring their parents to meet me! More than double any other teacher in the school! It was a historical night for our principal. He had never had that many parents come to an open house. 175 parents showed to greet the teachers!
I read a newspaper article yesterday from the star telegram about a report that had been put out by the Children at Risk non-profit organization. The report compared graduation rates, involvement in extra-curricular activities, and passing rates on college entrance exams amongst 902 high schools in the state and 156 schools in north texas. Immediately, I looked toward the bottom for my school, and sure enough it was second from the bottom. I am so proud to say that I work there and I have gotten used to the intial reactions of people when I tell them which high school I work at. I know that each time my kids show up to school and become engaged in learning that they are beating the odds. All I have to do is create that environment.
Friday was a waiver day and we had a speaker come to our school to talk about the "Fish philosophy." #1 Play. #2 Be there. #3 Choose your attitude. #4 Make their day.
Saturday I had PDAS training.
Oops, entry too long! But it was a long week!