Sure, I care about the club, the rental homes and construction projects... but I really care about the progress of these kids.
Many of these kids were participating in Fall sports as well and many had to learn to better manage and prioritize their time.
Most had parents who blamed the schools or their exes for their own kid's behaviors and academic issues.
The thing is - as soon as I walk into a home, I have the kids clean his or her room and finish any chores before we even start doing homework.
I talk to the kids as we work together cleaning so that I can gauge what frame of mind the child is in and what problems the kid may be experiencing.
One mother broke into tears because she was so proud of the progress her son had made.
Her problem was that she kept making excuses for her son instead of being an example for him.
Her problem was that she spent more time at my club than she did helping her son with his homework and household chores.
When I explained that they still lived in the same house, that the kid went to the same school, that the kid had the same friends (that basically, the kid had the same life) - that the only difference was the level of expectation and the focus on the kids progress.
The mother even started doing better at her job almost doubling her paychecks in the process.
In all honesty, I don't want to hear excuses - I expect results.
You are a great teacher now, but you would've made a great impact in the education system.
ReplyDeleteIt's people like you that make the difference.
It takes so little to shore up a child's life.
One kind deed, words, one mind opening learning experience, can change the course of a child's life forever!
Nah, I'm okay with a few kids at a time but class full of bad-assed little niglets would have driven me to have to choke one of them. As it is now I can just say, "Look, you asked ME for help. I don't HAVE to be here.". They seem to understand that so I get away with things teachers cannot.
ReplyDelete