AuburnChick's Adventures

This week has been interesting.  My work in the front office has allowed me a glimpse of the many things that go on in high school.

Boy, have things changed from my days in school…way back in the 80’s.

Or have they?

I was fortunate (although I didn’t know it back then) to grow up in a very small town.  My entire high school, which consisted of seventh through twelfth grades, was housed in one building, and it wasn’t a big building…more like an old plantation home.  I think we had seven classrooms.

Sure, we had some drama, and we certainly had our share of tragedies…the kind that are all too familiar for teenagers, no matter where you live.

Yes, this has been an eye-opening week.

Yesterday, a gal came to use the phone, and she and the friend who had accompanied her openly discussed her appointment that afternoon…to find out the sex of the baby she is carrying.  She’s a senior, due in June.  She’s only now beginning to show, so people are starting to find out about her pregnancy.

One student had the beginnings of a panic attack while waiting for his mom to check him out early.  And I can’t even begin to tell you how many kids have been skipping or getting their parents to call in and lie for them…just so they can leave school early.  I’m so naive that I don’t realize what’s happening until the gal sitting beside me explains.

There are also those students who come in and make my heart sing.  One such person is a guy who was in the class I subbed for in the fall.  Do you remember when I stayed in one classroom for a week?  I loved those kids and wanted to stay for the duration of the teacher’s maternity leave; however, the school hired a more experienced teacher.

This student came into the office a couple of times today.  He wasn’t feeling well and was wasting time.  He was the student who I asked to stop smoking after seeing him walk home from school one day, cigarette in hand.  I had asked in a gentle, concerned way, and he didn’t take offense.  That was before Christmas.

Today I asked him if he had resumed this habit, given some stressful things he’s been going through lately.

“Nope,” was his answer.

My jaw nearly hit my desk.

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

“Really,” he assured me.  He said that he even told his dad about how I had asked him to stop.  And he did.

What a wonderful reminder of how one person can influence another.

I can’t help but admire the lady who is permanently assigned to the Attendance desk.  She goes above and beyond the call of duty to help students, parents, and other employees.  In the last four days, I’ve frequently watched her bring smiles to students’ faces by giving heart-felt compliments on their appearance, doling out band aids and medication, or excusing absences that really shouldn’t be excused…giving them a chance to redeem themselves.   She soothes parents’ frustrations and has even managed to patiently train Yours Truly.

There’s certainly more than meets the eye when you walk into a school.  I count this as more experience that will, hopefully, prepare me for the day I have my own classroom.

Or, perhaps I already have a classroom.  It may not have four walls, exactly, and I may not be teaching history or English.  But what I am teaching is compassion, empathy, and maybe even humility…as I mirror the actions of my “partner-in-crime” (i.e. the gal in the chair beside me).

Much to think on…much to pray for…

Filed under: children | Tagged: high school, teenagers |