Criminals and Idiots

One of my fellow educators (an old man, if that matters) said to me last week that most of his students are either criminals or idiots.  Wow, does that make me sad.  Why would a person be an educator of young people, if that's his opinion of his students?

I met a kid a couple of weeks ago - he was a second semester transfer, a senior, who had been kicked out of four high schools already.  My school was his last chance.  He only needed four credits to graduate.  He's a truly good soul, who got all wrapped up in the wrong group of people, specifically gang members.

For some reason, this kid clicked with me.  I think it's because he would say super inappropriate things, and I would immediately call him on his bullshit and tell him how NOT to be a dumbass and make bad choices.  He was not my student (only in my study hall), and I only had him under my direct supervision for about a week, but I took it upon myself to check up on him and talk to him.  He would wander into my classroom in the middle of any given class and just start telling me things or try to talk to all my students. They didn't know what to do with him.  ADHD = wandering = getting into trouble.  But there is nothing but good in this kid's heart, so I did any and everything I could do to listen to and help him.

He was in the school for all of about a week, when he got suspended for telling one of our female teachers that he wanted to curve her.  While that's inappropriate, all that needed to be done was to have a conversation about not saying every single thing which comes into his brain.  Honestly, I think that HE thought it was a compliment.  (Obviously, that's not how you talk in school.)

Anyway, he is now MIA.  He broke into a former foster parent's house last week, he's now on the run, and he's fucked.  No more public school for him, only incarceration.  Last chance blown, friend.

And yet, I still feel bad for him.  His family life is nonexistent, he's been in and out of foster care for most of his life.  He's in a gang.  And, as a a matter of fact, he told me that the only way he'd ever get out of that gang was in a coffin.

I just hope he's wrong.  I hope he doesn't end up a life-long criminal.  I hope he gets his GED.  I hope he knows that he can be a good person, even though his family and his life is pretty fucked up right now.  I hope he doesn't kill someone or get killed by someone.  I hope that he finds the good in himself that I can see every time I speak to him.  I hope he's okay.