Miss Mary, you changed my life

How can I despair when I get a phone call like the one I just got?  I am in tears.  It's been a rough day in some respects. Sometimes when that happens, I get a phone call from someone that shows me I need to keep going and can't get discouraged by my own problems or by difficult students or by general malaise in the form of clock-watching.

N couldn't come to class because his wife was ill and he needed to take care of the baby.  He called last night but I never called back because I neglected to pick up voice mail.  He called at MC3 to make sure I got his message and then he just called now to make sure he had the right home number for me.  He said, "Miss Mary, you changed my life."  He said he loves to come to class.  He doesn't need his GED for his own job because it is a good one, but he wants it for himself and for his kids.  He does think about what if his plant closed down and how would he support his wife and four kids?

G also called and had his 5 year old daughter say thank you for the Junie B. Jones book I found for her in the MC3 Pantry box.  Good for him for having her do that!

And then there's B who I suspended today because she used her cell phone several times in spite of warnings.  She called tonight and said she would leave it at home and could I please take her back?  She said she has to get a GED.  I tried to tell her it was going to take a long time.  How can I say I don't think she can do it?  Maybe she could if she learned how to learn.  So tomorrow, she is going to sit by herself so she is not distracted by her classmates.  She is my biggest challenge and has been all year--and she's always there except for that period of incarceration.  I asked her if anyone had ever said she had ADHD? She said her IEP was for being emotionally disturbed.  I really think it is the impulsiveness with the low skills that holds her back.

So my tears have stopped.  It is good to write.  I am thankful for the opportunities that are put before me and pray for the strength to meet the challenges.