velocity

Apparently you can stab your sister in the neck, but if she doesn't press charges, you don't go to lockup. I had a nice long chat with the little guy's probation officer, and we decided it was entirely the mom's fault. Then I had a nice long chat with Older Sister about how safe and comfortable she would feel in my classroom if Little Brother stayed. Then I had a nice long chat with the little guy about appropriate ways to resolve familial conflict in my classroom, and we decided we could all get along.

Goddamn motherfucking parents. My kids would be okay if their parents didn't suck so much ass.

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On a brighter note, one of my other students, Joe, told me today that he was awarded a $20,000 college scholarship. It's called the First Generation Scholarship, and it's intended for kids who are the first in their families to go to college. He's also applying for our district foundation scholarship, and since I'm on the review board for it, I'm pretty sure he'll get it. He's 19 years old, 9 months sober, 6 months out of jail, and now he's going to be the first person in his family to go to college, and the first person in six generations of his family to earn a high school diploma.

I honestly wish other people could see how amazing my kids are, and how hard they have to work. Joe has accomplished more at the age of 19 than I have at 32, but thus far he's been unable to get a job because all employers see of him is a prior conviction. Hopefully in a few years, they'll see him as a college graduate, but not even that fully sums up how far he's come.