[Liza's note : Awesome, awesome, first time post. Good way to start the new year.]

I'd like you to meet a few people I know. Maybe this will help you better understand why I put up with so much cow manure on a daily basis.

Meet Anthony. Take a minute to read his life story, if you would. I’ll tell you my side of it. I met Anthony when he was a ninth grader. He had written a very well written story that scared his ninth grade English teacher to death. She was convinced that we had another Dylan Kliebold on our hands. I thought otherwise. He was an awkward kid, a little overweight, very unkempt. His wardrobe was limited, he wasn’t always particularly clean, and he had a temper like Vesuvius. He was also creative, bright, and articulate (even if we didn’t always like what he had to say).

So the meetings started. I asked him to get involved with the STAR program, and he did. I asked him to do his schoolwork, and he mostly did. His dad cut a deal with him and sobered up so that Anthony would graduate. I watched this awkward child blossom into a responsible almost-adult. He was the school mascot his senior year, much beloved by his classmates, even though he was still reeling from the death of his beloved step-mom. He still remains involved with the youth of the city. He attends community college, and proudly reported that he almost has a 4.0. He’s struggling with math. Hey, I understand that. I got out of math in college by taking linguistics and BASIC. He writes wonderfully expressive poetry, and has started a book about his life. He is planning on finishing his associate’s degree and moving on to university. He wants to be an English teacher, and while I know that he’s had this in him since before he met me, it is still one of the greatest honors I could have. This man has overcome things the rest of us only read about. I am proud to know him. I hope that I helped him at some point along the way, but I think it was mostly hard work on his part with help from his dad and step mom. I don't care what you believe; I know that woman is bursting with pride for him wherever she may be.

Meet Student A. I haven't spoken with her in a few years, so I'll allow her to remain anonymous. Student A was in my Title I class. Ostensibly I was teaching the at-risk students how to read better. In reality, I was trying to teach them some coping skills. Student A was a stunningly beautiful girl who was on probation for drug dealing. She took the rap for her boyfriend, who was no longer a minor. She was fifteen at the time. Do the math. Even though that sort of thing is illegal in this state, it’s rarely prosecuted.
She had a great probation officer (I still miss Leanne), and was working hard to get her shit together so that she could graduate and get the hell out of Dodge.

One day, Student A looked as if she had been crying. I asked her what was going on, and she totally broke down. Her mom was using meth again. Here she was, trying to stay sober herself, and she was having to deal with her mother being on drugs. (Mini-rant: I FUCKING HATE METH. More than any other drug, it destroys lives and families. It sucks. I hate it). Additionally, Student A had a seven-year-old younger sister that she was now trying to take care of. She was still seeing the drug dealer guy, who was supplying her mother. It broke my heart. She was beautiful, and bright, and stuck in a situation that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I did the unthinkable. I called CPS. She was SO angry with me for months. But her mom cleaned up, she stayed at home, and things got better.

Flash-forward a couple of years. I am attending a conference on youth improvement. There is Student A on the stage, preparing to speak. She introduces herself. She discusses her difficulties, and how she is now studying to be an EMT. She is asked how she overcame her family and drug issues. She said, "In tenth grade, I had a teacher who cared. Without her, I wouldn’t be here." I was sobbing in the audience. She didn't know I was there until after the presentation. I yelled at her for making me cry. She thanked me for helping her to stop crying. It was a Kodak moment.

Meet Selene. I can use her name, because I taught her in another state a very long time ago. Selene was a tough kid. She was in my 8th grade English class. She wanted to be a doctor. She was so street, though, that no one encouraged her to pursue her dream. When I taught Animal Farm that year, I knew she would make it when she suddenly jumped out of her chair and yelled, "Oh my god, he’s talking about PEOPLE!" There is nothing as cool as watching a student GET IT. I told her that she needed to ignore everybody else, take lots of math and science, and be the best-damned doctor she could be. I have absolutely NO doubt in my mind that she is currently practicing medicine somewhere.

Meet Work in Progress. Work in Progress was thrown out of his mom's house last June. Following his parents' divorce, things went downhill. When mom met her new boyfriend, they got worse. Apparently, mom hadn't learned from her marital experience, and hooked up with an unemployed dude who is decidedly gangster. She worked, supported her two teenaged sons and her boyfriend, and I think at least one of his kids. WIP didn’t get along with said boyfriend. After allowing WIP to work full time (illegally) for six months or so, and collecting money from him for bills, (school? What’s that?) Mom kicked WIP out of the house. When I found out about this, WIP was sneaking in and out of various bedroom windows to find places to sleep at night. I found out about it after seeing him at school one day with a black eye, and starting to make inquiries. Turns out that when he tried to go home and work things out, boyfriend had some issues and beat WIP up. I shall save "What the fuck is wrong with women who put men ahead of their kids?" for another blog. WIP moved in with my family. I was with us for 8 months and then he started using meth and I had to ask him to leave for the safety of my children. He is currently renting his own place, working at a supermarket, clean, attending school, and doing okay. I have high hopes for him. We shall see.

This is why I do what I do. Research has shown that kids can overcome the most overwhelming life situations if they have at least one significant adult in their lives who cares about them, supports them, and believes in them. Please find a kid to mentor. They need to be shown that there is a world outside of their own. They need for someone to believe that they can be something. An hour or two a week is all it takes. I can’t do this alone, and we all have to deal with the consequences of not doing anything.
I promise you, the reward is worth it. I wouldn't still be teaching after 20 years if it weren't.

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