I guess I hoped that 8th graders were still innocent. I couldn't have been more wrong. Last week one of my students asked us why all the teachers were pregnant but we keep telling the kids not to get pregnant. After I realized she wasn't kidding, I was speechless. The common sense answer, "The teachers are married and have careers," wasn't enough for this student. As the conversation went on my mentor teacher and I told her that she had time to have children and she needed to enjoy life right now. In response she yelled, "I don't have time!" It was mind boggling. What's more heartbreaking is if she wants to get pregnant in high school, she can. And she probably will.
So I know teachers aren't supposed to have favorites but let's face it, we're human too. So I was helping one of my favorites yesterday and the teacher's aid pulled me aside. She told me to look at this student's wrists. Sure enough, she had three vertical cuts down her wrist. They weren't newly fresh but they were about two days old. It hit me so hard that I had to leave the classroom. I cried for this girl on my way home and prayed for her my entire drive. For some reason I thought 8th graders weren't this verse in the real world. Man oh man was I wrong. It's saddening. It's depressing. It makes me angry. But most of all, I want to love on this girl even more now.
On a lighter note, my teacher is letting me teach chemical formulas tomorrow!!!! She gave me the note taking strategy that she usually uses and told me to come up with a short powerpoint to explain chemical formulas and the Law of Conservation of Mass! I can't wait! Mondays and Wednesdays are my favorite days of the week!! Besides football days. :D
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