Today Was A Good Day
Up in time to make and take my coffee to the living room couch and turn on MTV. While balancing the line of midnight blue on my eylid, I heard Amy Winehouse, the wicked lyrical Brit singing about "I cheated myself..."
Almost in time to my 7am meeting- but not quite.
For the last four years I have been at the same urban high school site. For the last four weeks a senior that has passed both parts of the high school exit exam, has stopped regulary attending. I noticed on the progress reports he was in danger of failing, and wondered when we all stopped caring.
Two of us decided we would make an active effort to help him towards graduation. The director supported our intervention. We called the home, the gaurdian, and asked the other students if anyone had his cell number. We reached no one.
He came in today, and I was called to the office. All the reasons why he might feel, anxious, depressed, or uncertain of what transition after graduation meant, were laid out for him. He agreed.
We told him we would take it one day at a time. Come to school or call us one day at a time, he gave us his cell phone number. It felt like progress.
We worked on his transition paperwork, later in the day he went along with our idea to make his own schedule. There were some bumps in the road, he answered his cell to say, "hey I am in school let me call you back," then handed over his phone: To keep the outside at bay.
He checked in with other teachers, created a schedule he felt he could follow. Had a non supportive interaction with another staff, and I reminded him not to power struggle. He heard me.
Reading through the newspaper I mentiond Ice Cube would be at the Filmore and started humming today was a good day, he laughed at me and said, "you don't know nothing about that," I agreed. I just like the song it makes me happy.
I think I was just happy, that we had retrieved him from the concrete jungle. That he could acknowledge he needed help and allowed us to care.
The New America Media is giving an amazing voice to generation next WHO ASKED US?: Dropping Out and Coming Back
Almost in time to my 7am meeting- but not quite.
For the last four years I have been at the same urban high school site. For the last four weeks a senior that has passed both parts of the high school exit exam, has stopped regulary attending. I noticed on the progress reports he was in danger of failing, and wondered when we all stopped caring.
Two of us decided we would make an active effort to help him towards graduation. The director supported our intervention. We called the home, the gaurdian, and asked the other students if anyone had his cell number. We reached no one.
He came in today, and I was called to the office. All the reasons why he might feel, anxious, depressed, or uncertain of what transition after graduation meant, were laid out for him. He agreed.
We told him we would take it one day at a time. Come to school or call us one day at a time, he gave us his cell phone number. It felt like progress.
We worked on his transition paperwork, later in the day he went along with our idea to make his own schedule. There were some bumps in the road, he answered his cell to say, "hey I am in school let me call you back," then handed over his phone: To keep the outside at bay.
He checked in with other teachers, created a schedule he felt he could follow. Had a non supportive interaction with another staff, and I reminded him not to power struggle. He heard me.
Reading through the newspaper I mentiond Ice Cube would be at the Filmore and started humming today was a good day, he laughed at me and said, "you don't know nothing about that," I agreed. I just like the song it makes me happy.
I think I was just happy, that we had retrieved him from the concrete jungle. That he could acknowledge he needed help and allowed us to care.
The New America Media is giving an amazing voice to generation next WHO ASKED US?: Dropping Out and Coming Back
posted by Lorena | 2:23 PM
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