reminder why
five years ago i taught a young man that is one of the smartest students i have ever taught. he was also one of the laziest! will was an amazing kid. as an 11th grader he had more of the southern gentleman in him than most grown men i have encountered. he held the door, he said yes ma’am and no ma’am. and it wasn’t just with adults, but even his peers. will had a lot of issues to deal with in life, but he was a good kid. his dad a pilot he would often fly to various places around the states or world. independent young man, held a job, and passed his classes. even after he was out of my class he would drop by to chat or just to say hello. he graduated and i didn’t see him for a while. then one day he stopped by. he had lost weight and matured. turns out he had joined the military and had just returned from basic. it was great to see that he had straightened out a lot of his life and was making a life for himself. i have often wondered the last few years how will was doing. was he sent to iraq or afghanistan? i didn’t know how to find out. it is the nature of the job, many times you never know what happens to your kids. they move on and so do you.
i was sitting at lunch today talking with several other teachers about how some students were so comfortable coming to us with anything. i fondly thought of will and several other students who frequently stop by for advice. it was then i wondered again what happened to will. the bell rings and i go back to my room, waiting on my next class to come in hyper from lunch. there was a strange man in my room. he was dressed in camo looking at a map. i stood their for a moment, about to ask if i could help him with anything. he turned around. the face was familiar, but i wasn’t sure why and then it hit me…WILL! he explained where he had been stationed, and where he would be sent in the next few months. he didn’t stay long as i had students coming in. but he was the will i remember. and he had made it. he was happy and receiving an education that would prepare him for civilian life upon discharge. i am so proud of him. despite the frustrations of his life, he was doing something with it.
it is rare that students return, much less return more than once. djembe, who already knew what a difficult day i had been facing, said, “God gives you those visits to let you know that teaching is indeed worth it.” i agree. despite days like today where i had to deal with a horrible sub report from yesterday, this is a job that i love…this is a job where i can make a difference for someone. it is indeed worth it.
