School's out...for the summer????

Well, sort of.

Tomorrow I am tutoring a kid for the GED. He left Burges after the first semester last year and went to Sunset which is a credit recovery school. I messaged him a little while ago to see if he was graduating. This was his reply:

• "No I got out like 2 months ago i wouldn't go to school so I'm getting my ged and hopefully going to school in august and then ill be ok and do better
• 
  

Sorry I let you down also"

I was heart broken....let me down? My poor student! I told him I would help in any way. Did he need me to drive him to school? Help him sign up for a GED class? Anything. He is a bright kid and this is just another example of a kid not having a chance - his family situation is the worst. It's just not fair.

When I met him, he reminded me of two of my good friends, Angel and Antonio. He would be best friends with them if he was their age - seriously, this kid is HILARIOUS!

We talked alot about him going to Spain and going to school for architecture (because that's where Angel and Antonio live). I showed him schools he could go to, scholarships he could get. I helped him pass his exit level TAKS test and we were all set. Then this year he started just not coming to school. at all. ever. Then he went to Sunset. And then finally he dropped out.

I have a teacher facebook page so I can message my students class reminders, and lets be honest, I stalk them a bit. I signed on today and had a message from him asking me to help him study for the GED. I was elated! Way to take the initiative, my friend! So tomorrow, I will pick him, take him to Starbucks (he once wrote a letter to Mikell telling him I was cheating on him with Starbucks) and we are going to work through a practice GED test.

I asked him what time he would like to meet and he said let's not wake up too early, lets meet at 1. Typical teenage boy.

But that will not end my school day tomorrow. I had very few seniors this year and out of those very few only 1 is going away to college. And I believe that that is something to be celebrated. So, tomorrow, after I tutor 'ol boy, I am meeting with her to talk to her about college. Maybe tell her a few things I wish someone had told me before I went. I am just so happy and proud of her. She got a $40,000 scholarship to St. Mary's in Austin, TX. She has a strong faith and a good head on her shoulders. I just want to make sure she keeps it there :)

Again, maybe I am crossing a line with my kids. And at some point I feel like maybe this could get me into trouble. But I'm okay with that. Because I know that they need me. They need the support they don't get at home. And I will be here to give it to them. No matter what.

I come from a place where my life, my parents, my friends, my morals are a world away from the way it is here in El Paso. This place is super broken. My place was not. So if I can bring my place into theirs, if only for a moment, then I think I have succeeded.