One Child Left Behind

When I was a beginning teacher, I would have enthusiastically embraced, "No Child Left Behind," as a reachable goal--reachable if every teacher cared as much about their students as I did. Now as I prepare to leave this profession, I am a bit more jaded and "realistic." I realize that most teachers care as much, if not more, for their students as I do. But children do get left behind, and will continue to be left behind, because they are imperfect, and their friends are imperfect, and their parents (if they have them) are imperfect, and their teachers are imperfect.

Today's post is about one such student. I'll call him Jonathan, because that's his name and I doubt he will ever read this blog. Jonathan is in my Algebra 1A class, which is the lowest level of math we offer. Jonathan was also in my Algebra 1A class last year as a freshman. In this, his 4th semester of high school, he has passed PE and Auto Shop. I have met with his counselors, his parents, we have had a student study team, and nothing seems to change. Since this is his second time with me, he knows I give multiple versions of tests so that I can tell when someone copies because their answers are the same as someone with a different test. Yet, he has copied someone else's test. Three times. I am alternately angry, frustrated, tolerant, sympathetic, heartbroken and indifferent when it comes to this child.

When we had our study team, we asked Jonathan what he liked. He said, "Music and baseball." I immediately perked up. His band teacher gave him great marks for effort. We discussed with Jonathan the reality that he could not participate in either of these activities without passing grades. I asked our baseball coach if Jonathan had tried out. He had, and had been cut, partly because of lack of ability and partly because his attendance was sporadic. Two weeks after our meeting he was dropped from the band because he stopped showing up for that, too.

We search in vain for reasons why it has come to this with this child. His father is a pastor of a small hispanic church close to the school. So you know Jonathan has been prayed for. It sounds like his family often takes in other children, so it could be the classic case of a pastor who spends more time on other people's children than his own. But we can't assume that. He has been tested for special education and doesn't meet their mystifying criteria. It has come to this: My assistant principal has Jonathan's 16th birthday marked on his calendar, which is the day he can be sent to continuation school and become someone else's problem.

Jonathan is not a bad kid. He's not defiant. He's remorseful when caught cheating, not angry with me. I'm sure by this point that every time something goes wrong it just fits the image he has formed of himself.

So, why write about him? Because I don't know what else to do. Some of you may read this and say, "I know someone like him," or "That used to be me." And we know a God who changes people. I'm not praying for Jonathan to become an honor student. I'm not even praying that he graduates from high school, though that would be nice (the percentage of students in Algebra 1A, who graduate from our high school is about 35%). I'm praying that this child will make it in life. I'm praying that he will realize that the God his father preaches really does love him and has a place in his kingdom, and in this world, for him. I'm praying that he will somehow overcome the damage he has done to himself and that has been inflicted by others. And I'm asking you to do the same.