Even though the changes were, too tiny for you to notice, they’re still, taking place, it’s just, that you are, too focus on what the students aren’t doing right, from the Front Page Sections, translated…
“Principal, can I chat with you?”, a female instructor who had, bravely taken on the role of acting as dean of student affairs LINED to ask me.
In the phones, she’d told me, that a student had made her feel so defeated, this child is from a poverty-stricken home, his father was ill and couldn’t work, his mother who’s handicapped couldn’t provide the needed care for him; so he’d, wandered around a lot, and his homeroom instructor was troubled by his behaviors, worried, that getting him back into the class will be giving the rest of the class a bad influence; and, as the teacher corrected him, he’d, talked back, and the teacher can’t put up with that, and, told to the offices of student affairs repeatedly. And maybe, he’d felt, that he’d, troubled his classroom instructor so, that he’d, decided, to take himself out of class long-term.
“It’d taken me a long time to finally find him, to connect with him, I’d used moral to convey to him the importance of his education, and, he’d, finally came back to school, but, in the end, he’d still, disappointed me.” I’d asked, “Did he not come back?”
She’d immediately told me, “He had! But, he was dropped off by another young man on a motorcycle, with the uniform jacket, but in jeans”. The manager of student affairs told, that day, the principal was right outside the school, so, he’d inquired her about the backgrounds of this particular student, as she’d told him, the principal said coldly, “It’s a wonder, that the teachers don’t want him back in their classes, it’s his problem.”
“I’d spent so much energies on him, how can he not know my heart? Back then, I’d, lectured him, and, he’d stopped wanted to come back to school again, and even wanted to transfer, it’d, made me, so defeated!”, the dean of student affairs sounded, so beaten down.
“Some kids, when you give her/him one, s/he will return two or three back to you; but there are some kids, when you’d given him one, s/he can only give 0.1 as a feedback, but you know what? for that student, the 0.1 s/he’d given back, s/he’d worked so hard to give, if we see how hard they’d worked, and understood it, then, that 0.1 should be what motivates us.”
I’d told the dean, that the student must’ve felt moved, that was why he was willing to return. And, with the situation of the student, from the night before, could he have, stayed out, and he’d, still remembered, to put on the jacket from school, with his backpack, and, still willing, to come back to school, after dropping out, and this 0.1’s improvement, shouldn’t it make you proud? You should praise him for it, then, take his hand, and move forward some more.
I’d blabbed on and on, and on, and, the other end fell silent, I thought she’d, hung up, I’d asked her, “Are you still there?”
She’d said, in a muffled voice, “I’d started crying as I’d heard you spoken of the 0.1’s change. It’s certain, that that smallest change in him, is what made me so proud, and, that should be enough, to motivate me, to keep on, reaching out to him!”
In the forum of education, everybody wanted to have good students, a jewel that the instructor can help polish to a shine; but, with those kids who’d, given up on moving forward, if you can give them a push and a pull, to help them move forward, then, that would be, the most wonderful flower that’s come into bloom in the gardens.
And so, this showed, how we are more than likely, to zoom in on what the kids didn’t do, instead of how hard they’re, making an effort, and, with the help from this educator, pointing it out to this dean of student affairs, she saw, that the child she was trying to reach was making an effort, in steering his own life in the right direction, and hopefully, this woman won’t push him too hard, or herself too hard, and just allow the student to slowly, come back toward the right paths.
Life, the Obstacle Course 