The Ups and Downs

What a week of ups and downs...

UP: We had an Open Night at school for prospective students and their parents this week, and two of my students spoke at the welcome ceremony. They did such a great job and I found myself absolutely bursting with pride. It was one of those moments that helps offset the hard days - they both rose to the challenge so well, and really represented us well.

DOWN: I had my first encounter with reporting suspected sexual abuse this week. That's not a good feeling at all. My heart really goes out to the family of this student - it must be every parent's worst nightmare to have this happen to their innocent child, and even worse when it's by someone they thought they could trust. Just a horrible, horrible thing.

UP: I became aware of the above incident because of two students who approached me to tell me in confidence of what they knew. I have to feel grateful, and proud, that these two students felt they could trust me enough to approach me about this - not the school counsellor, not their home group teacher, not their parents - but me. I think that's a pretty big testimonial to the relationships I'm forming.

DOWN: It's been a long week with a lot of work going on. I'm still dealing with behaviour management challenges, as I am beginning to suspect I always will, and I've been doing some really long hours this week, with no end in sight (save the winter holidays - six weeks to go!)

UP: I have a student (previously mentioned) who is a particular challenge, one for whom I had earlier believed I represented a restrictive and hated institution. I've been focusing a lot of thought on him - how to reach him, how to help him break through the barriers he's built himself. So far it's been by treating him with quite a lot of respect - probably a lot more than he's used to. I have been quite lenient with him so far, but have started slowly "raising the bar", and have been frank with him about doing so - telling him it's not fair to the other students that I let him get away with things I wouldn't let them get away with, and so on. Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather when he told me that he'd done our in-class assignment at home. Even more so when, despite having done the work at home, he continued with it in the classroom (the computer lab, no less - home to all manner of behavioural challenges for me!). And again when he repeatedly asked me for feedback throughout the lesson, with the most beautiful of manners ("Miss can you please have a look at this? Is it OK so far?")

I am beginning to hope - please don't let me be disappointed - but I am beginning to see a ray of hope, that he's on the up. All I want is for him to WANT to come to my class. To WANT to read a book. To WANT to try his best. And I think, bit by bit, we might be heading there.