A humbling moment at work yesterday. One of the kids here — for HIPPA reasons, his name will be Robert — can't read.
We were watching the new Jurassic World movie via pirated DVD that was in Japanese, so we needed English subtitles. Robert throughout the movie kept asking me what happened or what did they say. Unknowingly aware of Robert's illiteracy, I got annoyed, and told that the subtitles are there and just read them. Easier said than done, I would find out. After an hour of this, I pull him aside to give him a formal counseling for harassing me.
I'm very glad I did this, as I don't believe in embarrassing kids of this nature in public. Robert, who is 16 years old, begins to shamefully sob and tells me that the reason he kept asking me what was happening was because he can't read.
My heart sunk. My eyes began to water. My chest felt compressed. I've always read and heard about on TV about people as old as Robert (even older) who are illiterate.
Robert never knew his father and his mother abused him and drugs. He has been to 14 different foster homes in Missouri and Kansas and was ordered by the State of Missouri to stay here at Ozanam. He has been at Ozanam for nearly a year.
The other workers have said they tried to teach Robert, but with no success, and it's not worth my time. My co-workers do not realize that they are talking to a teacher-in-training. My passion in life is to educate and to make kids learn.
Robert has told me he wants to read. His desire to learn is all I need. I will help this kid if it kills me, damn it! Nothing makes me happy than helping a kid learn and proving doubters how ignorantly wrong they are. :)