Teacher’s pet

June 28, 2012 4 Comments

Last night was commencement ceremonies.  Buddy is now officially a grade 12 grad.  She obviously did her exams and in fact, she did extremely well with them.  So well that if she had kept her marks up prior to the exams she would have made the honor role.  I was really pleased to see that she was the one to have figured that out herself without me having to point it out.  Not that it will make a ton of difference next year but you never know.

The ceremony wasn’t bad as far as graduations go.  It was crowded and hot but the speeches were short and to the point and the valedictorian speech was really quite funny.

I’ve talked before about how good it is for kids to have other adults in their lives, other than just their parents but teachers can play a really special role.  If kids who are struggling are able to feel like they belong as part of their school; that at least one (preferably more) of the teachers at the school support them and are there for them and if they are able to invest in trying to do well on any level then these kids have a much higher chance of doing well even if home life is not a good place.

It was interesting for me to be there and see the kids who were graduating.  There were a number of kids who I’ve been involved with professionally who were marching up on stage, getting their diplomas, getting awards, scholarships, bursaries and plaques for jobs well done.  These are the kids that are coming from lives that would destroy most adults.  They have had to do well despite what’s gone on in the rest of their lives and rise above some very significant personal challenges.  In fact, I was quite taken back by the number of graduating kids that I knew.  And yet, there they were, having achieved something they should and hopefully are very proud of.

There were a lot of things that I noticed that many of these kids had in common.  Kids who had nothing and worked hard versus kids who had everything and never learned how to try.  One thing in particular that stood out was that these kids all had at least one teacher that they ran up to and hugged (buddy included) and that they personally felt like they had helped them through and felt connected to.  When you ask them, they hold that teacher(s) responsible for helping them get to where they are.  I have no doubts that those relationships are some of the most important relationships those kids will ever have.  When teachers are able to do this for kids who have nothing, they’ve achieved something far greater than teaching how to conjugate a verb (or whatever it is you do).

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One step, two step, three step, four.

June 25, 2012 2 Comments

You know what I heard today?  It’s the first day of summer vacation and I’m bored already.  Imagine that.  I remember those days when your friends all have boyfriends and half of your friends are getting ready to leave for school somewhere else and everyone is working.  Buddy needs to start moving a few more steps forward this summer or it’s going to be a long and lonely summer for her.

Summer vacation time can be great or lonely for kids depending on what they have going on in their lives.  Buddy has a few friends, only one of whom is not dating a guy seriously.  So, one friend to hang around with basically.  She’s not working and she doesn’t drive (and we live rural) and there are very, very limited things to do for teenagers in this area.  We’ll spend at least one day at the water park and if I manage to actually take a week off somewhere to do some work around the house, well buddy will help me with that too.

Peer groups typically change at this point in time and that can make it worse for some kids.  Those who stay behind shift to hang out with whoever else is around.  Step-daughter still isn’t working and still isn’t in school so it will be worse for her, especially over the next year or two when there is no one left who she knows.

Buddy will still have friends at school and in town so she’ll be okay this year but she needs to start finding things to do with her free time.  She plays one sport and that helps but I think it’s time to do some serious job hunting.  For some kids, part-time jobs are the greatest things.  Oldest girl-child wasn’t a strong student in high school but she was amazing at her job and it really helped her feel good about herself and her capabilities.  Buddy hasn’t been ready for the world of part-time work since she has had so much else going on in her life.  I think it’s time though, to push that.  Things have settled down, life has been going pretty smoothly, no big major issues.  I know buddy pulls away from this because it’s one more step towards independence and that is something she doesn’t necessarily want – but – it’s all part of this process of growing up and sometimes, even when the kids are scared of the steps, you still have to help push them through it a little bit because hiding out and hoping it will all go away or pretending isn’t good for a person either.

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Just ask google

June 21, 2012 2 Comments

Tomorrow is the first exam for buddy child that will determine if she actually graduates next week from grade 12.  Now, realistically, she is expected to pass and her marks are high enough and she isn’t behind this year but really, you still have to pass your exams.

I come home from a two day business trip to find buddy lying on her bed texting.

“Are you studying?”

” pfft, no.  It’s English.  What do you study for English class?”

“Are you getting ready for your exam at all?”

“no”

I notice a few bathing suit tan lines around her neck area.

“Have you done any studying?”

“no”

So I ask, “what exactly is the exam on?”

“The books were read this semester.”

And I say, “you mean the ones you haven’t read?”

and wouldn’t you know, buddy’s response is “yeah, but I googled them”.

I can’t wait to hear how tomorrow goes.

 

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