I’ve had too much reality for a little old Napervillan like me to handle the past few days.
On Friday, one of my students came in angrier than usual. We have a pretty light hearted relationship, so I joked with her. “Tina (not real name), you always come to my class looking angry. Is it me? A boy?”
“No miss,” she said meekly.
“Tina, are you okay?” I came over to her and squatted down by her desk.
Tina started to tear up and whispered to me, “Miss, I might have cancer.”
I took her outside and asked her what was going on. She had noticed lots of bumps on her breasts and so her family had taken her into the doctor. The x-rayed and found a lump. They don’t know how bad it is yet, or if it is cancer for sure. I managed to keep it together for the rest of the period, but I broke down the minute my students left. How could she have breast cancer? She’s 12!! Where is the fairness in that? Plus, she’s one of the kids that could really make something of herself. She has a terrific family, both parents and she’s smart. She’s got drive and she’s athletic. How is that fair?
Then…today…three of my girls were arrested and to juvenille….for sniffing inhalents in the bathroom during testing. Apparently, they were also doing chewing tobacco. One of my girls had actually been doing it all day, and had already passed out once that morning. We had been trying for weeks to reach these girls. We had parent meetings, individual meetings. I worked with these students one on one. Now the have a drug offense on their record and 25 days in the Alternative Center.
What a week…and it’s only Tuesday.