My Visit
My first four years as a teacher were spent at Yosemite Middle School. I was part of the team creatively identified as "Team 7/8 A." That means that we taught 7th and 8th graders and we were on Track A (as Yosemite was a year-round school). There were 4 teachers on the team and we kept our students for both years of their Middle School lives. Three of the four of us were very close...two of us just beginning our careers.A group of students came to us at the beginning of the second year that was just special. We all clicked for some reason and by the end of our two years together we were a family. We worked, fought, laughed, and cared together...just like family. We three teachers were as proud and protective of our students as a mother and two fathers, and the kids were fiercely loyal to each other. As a new teacher, I thought the situation was normal. It really wasn't.
To varying degrees, we kept in touch with each other and with those students through the years. One of them even stops by this blog from time to time. Hey, Faline!
There was a pair of brothers that everybody loved. They were smart and funny and kind and jam-packed with charisma. The "mom" of our trio kept in touch with them after they left us and let us know from time to time what was happening with them. Both strayed from the straight-and-narrow, getting involved with gangs, drugs, and crime.
The younger of those two brothers (V) walked into my classroom yesterday. He teased me for a while, making me remember his name. After some 16-17 years, that was no easy task. But he gave me a couple of clues and I finally got there. Then he plunked down his brank-spanking-new diploma on my desk, showing me the reason for his visit.
V had done time for eight years. During that time, he found Christ. When he was released, he went to work for a group called "Hope Now for Youth." He helps guys break free from their gangs and find jobs...and Jesus. In nearly 5 years of this work, he is successful in putting young men into gainful employment, and staying that way, around 85% of the time. V preaches at his church some 3 weeks out of 4. He has been married for two years and is helping raise his brother's kids among others. He's become a tall, strong, good-looking man and I can see why younger men would look up to him. His diploma was for a Bachelor's in Religious Studies. And he's going to go on and get his Master's...at least.
We caught up for a while and then V asked if we could find someone to take our picture. We did and he held his diploma proudly while I draped my arm around him, just as proudly. He asked me to bless him before he left and we prayed together. I practically begged him to let me know when his group needed help. What a perfect opportunity for the church to live out the words of the Master. As he left, he told me he was off to see the other two teachers from Team 7/8 A.
I know sometimes people wonder why anyone would want to be a public school teacher. Now you know.
posted by Thurman8er @ 8:40 AM
4 Comments:
Wow. Too neat. Praise God.
Now THAT made tears come to my eyes...
What a beautiful example of "playing it forward"...
Yes..Praise God!!
What a great story! My father taught 5th & 6th grade in Fort Worth for 13 years before moving into administration.
40 years later I still run into people who recognize my name and ask if he's my dad. Every time they talk about what a great teacher and good man he was and what a positive influence he had on them.
That's a great story, Steve!
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