About this time last year one of my favorite and most promising students told me that she was pregnant. This wasn't her first which made it extra frustrating. As much as I tried to help, counsel, advise, etc, nothing prevented this from happening. If her boyfriend assaulting her at school, in class, in front of teachers and students didn't stop it either, perhaps this was inevitable.
I was the one who pulled that kid off her. We talked about what healthy family life could look like. I didn't have a perfect home, but I had two college educated parents that did their best. She said she wanted that for her future child, but instead, chose to do things the way many people around her including her own mother did.
I was upset because I felt like I saw her future slipping away. Many days she would come to my class (which she was no longer in) crying and asking what was going to happen to her. She vocally blamed me for not doing enough to help and change her path. I still carry quite a bit of guilt about it. I feel like I failed her.
She's doing fine now and has a plan for her future, but at the time, it only looked like doom to me.
The crazy thing is she was just the first of many that told me the were pregnant later. Within a week I had 5 new pregnant girls. A year later, they had there kids and I have a few more. It's a cycle I tried and failed to break. Here's to better luck in 2016.
Follow us on Facebook; Twitter; iTunes; Soundcloud; Stitcher
Related Articles:
Student Fathers
Student Mothers
Compounding Dallas Student Problems
2015 in Dallas education is ending, What now?
Top Ten Positive and Negative Moments in Dallas Education 2015
Positive 10. Alex Hales and Retired Teacher Negative 10. Promising Student Gets Pregnant
I was the one who pulled that kid off her. We talked about what healthy family life could look like. I didn't have a perfect home, but I had two college educated parents that did their best. She said she wanted that for her future child, but instead, chose to do things the way many people around her including her own mother did.
I was upset because I felt like I saw her future slipping away. Many days she would come to my class (which she was no longer in) crying and asking what was going to happen to her. She vocally blamed me for not doing enough to help and change her path. I still carry quite a bit of guilt about it. I feel like I failed her.
She's doing fine now and has a plan for her future, but at the time, it only looked like doom to me.
The crazy thing is she was just the first of many that told me the were pregnant later. Within a week I had 5 new pregnant girls. A year later, they had there kids and I have a few more. It's a cycle I tried and failed to break. Here's to better luck in 2016.
Follow us on Facebook; Twitter; iTunes; Soundcloud; Stitcher
Related Articles:
Student Fathers
Student Mothers
Compounding Dallas Student Problems
2015 in Dallas education is ending, What now?
Top Ten Positive and Negative Moments in Dallas Education 2015
Positive 10. Alex Hales and Retired Teacher Negative 10. Promising Student Gets Pregnant
RSS Feed