It was a Friday unlike any other....so filled with memorable moments..
"I just came to visit you." As he
was sitting on Georgette, la giraffe Alain shared about his weekend. He seemed
heavy-hearted which is unusual for him.
How lucky I am to have known him since his first day of Freshman year.
After two years he is a special person in our class family.
I got a lesson in birthday parties which are
completely the opposite from ones I experienced as a kid. How can there be 90
kids and 15 families invited? Sounds like fun to me! I always wanted big
parties but had to wait until an adult to throw them for myself. Maybe after 15 or so a change would be
exciting! How funny it was to hear his excitement about going to Family
Dollar, buying a bunch of snacks and spending his whole birthday watching
Netflix. It reinforced the fact that my
son is not the only teenager to experience such joy from this type of day.
I could relate to his sharing his mom’s insistence that
he have a big party. What a struggle
that is to give up, a heart-wrenching one that I experienced last year when my
son did not want a party. He said that “maybe
in six months, I will celebrate my half birthday.” Really? What is that about? Needless to say it never happened and the
days of fun party games, cool bug Rice Crispy treats, and anthill cakes are
over. It is the end of an era, a very
fun one. Another lesson in appreciate
every moment because they truly do not continue forever. When I suggested that birthday funds be used
to go to France, he commented "I
can’t leave the country. There is this “situation” with family, not my
immediate, maybe if I marry an American and I could...one day…maybe" When I was in high school the obstacle I had
in realizing my dream of going to France was money. That was so hard for
me. It is heart-breaking to hear that
some obstacles are more difficult to surmount, seemingly impossible.
.
How do I respond to a situation like this? It is
so unfair. “I try to not let it get me down, but sometimes it is hard.”
How can it be that such an amazing, hard-working,
focused young person suffer consequences for things beyond his control? In addition, I was shocked to hear
about the amount of money involved to make things possible in the future, $800
here, $1,500 there.
"It is hard because I can’t follow my dream even
though this is the “Land of Opportunity”. I would feel safer knowing he was on the streets working as a police
officer, protecting the innocent, maybe even working with the DEA.
If everyone had the chance to experience this
conversation as I did they would see kids in his situation differently because
they would see him, not just an issue. And people worry about test scores?
Really? How can we help?
What can we do to help young people just like him achieve their dreams,
once that will add goodness to our world?
In the end all I could do was share with him how much
I respect him for all his efforts and being so present despite the obstacles
that loom above. Moved to tears, yet again and now, my heart will
continue to be touched in unimaginable ways.
...tu es formidable! Merci pour partager ta
vision, ta passion, tes rêves. Je ferai n’importe quoi pour t’aider à accomplir
tes rêves. Pourrais-je t’adopter? : ) Sois
courageux mon chou!
For the opportunities to be inspired by the strength
of young people who are facing things so much more difficult than me, thank you
for sharing.
This is why I teach!
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