Melty heart...

In March, I wrote a blog about why I teach. I told of a little boy that I had in my second year of teaching and his horrible homelife. He started 4th grade at our school, but he moved. This wasn't shocking because he had attended a different school each year and he was only in 4th grade! I knew the school he went to and I had always hoped that he at least remembered me, or thought about how hard we worked on making good choices, as he grew up. I really really put time and effort into this kid and I didn't want it to be for nothing.

A few weeks ago my principal was talking about a meeting they all had together. He said our area superintendent was thanking him for a family that went from our school to another school. They were talking about the school my little guy had gone to and sure enough they were talking about him. He had been in a ton of trouble and I was disheartened. I really believed that I had made a difference with him and he wouldn't forget. I decided I was going to see him.

I didn't know if the school would even tell me if he went there or if they would let me go have lunch with him, but when I called she immediately knew who the boy was and didn't even have to look him up. Long story short I was able to go have lunch with him yesterday. He was SUPER excited to see me and he just kept hugging me telling me how much he missed me and how happy he was that I found him because he lost my number. Ok I'm feeling a little better. She told me he was so excited when she told him I was coming and he got to talk to me on the phone. He couldn't believe that I wanted to come and see him let alone have lunch with him. We sat and had lunch and the first thing out of his mouth was "I wasn't very good in 4th grade!" So we talked again about choices and he told me that it was his sisters boyfriend that was involved in the shooting when they closed Double Diamond Elementary a while back. He doesn't like this school becuase there is shootings and gangs and bad stuff. He just kept thanking me over and over again for coming to see him and telling me how he was happy that I found him. Another teacher we knew from Stead works there now. I was talking to her and she said "see people really do care about you buddy...you have people that care." I knew from his response that he genuinely knew I cared for him...

"Miss Plaza always cared about me...even when she was really mad at me she didn't quit caring."

Aww melty heart!! I spent an hour with him and he introduced me to all of his friends and told them how I wanted to come have lunch with him and I was a very important teacher. He was so proud to show me his school and his work and he even remembered all of what we did when I tutored him. He told that same teacher that he got to stay with me until 4:30 and those were the best days of school because he didn't have to go home so early. How sad is your homelife when staying at school and working is a better situation than going home?

Needless to say, he has my number again and this secretary and I are going to be in very close contact about him. I will have lunch with him again this summer too!