An Uncertain Future
I had a student who was acting out more than usual. I sat down with him privately to figure out what was up. Turned out both his parents were out of his life. I think dad had abandoned him and mom was behind bars for the long haul. He lived with his grandpa. He broke down in tears telling me that his grandpa was really sick and would probably pass soon.
He had an aunt who was trying to figure out if she wanted to take him in after grandpa passed, or if he was going into foster care with a stranger. It was so much pressure and stress on a sixth-grade boy, and he was just devastated. I have heard a lot of tough things from students in my career, way beyond what my sheltered California-girl upbringing could have ever led me to imagine.
Kids whose parents have told me they don’t want to be raising them, kids who have witnessed the loss of a sibling, physical harm of many sorts, kids bawling their eyes out about their disabilities, a giant tough guy fifth-grader missing his dad’s cooking and unsure if or when he would ever be back home to cook for the family again. It’s just a lot. It’s changed everything about my life, including how I vote. But that one little boy will always stick with me. I often wonder how he’s doing.