Re: What a beautiful post, Sparque!

Hi fledgling...
I have to agree...sometimes...we need to be able to smile at ourselves...and our efforts....
I got a visit from one of my old students late last week....she is nearing high school graduation and just wanted to say hi....we have been emailing for about 2 weeks...and she just came by to say hello...seems I helped her and didnt even know it.... she had her go round with the drugs, gangs, crime, sex, violence... but has been trying to turn herself around... but she said that when she was messing up, she remembered me and some of my sage advise...ok...maybe not her words...but...thought a little humor would be welcome here...she just said she remembered me and that we talked and I was always open and wanting to help, always on her side and not judgmental...yet gave her straight up info....when she was wrong..i told her......so that is when she decided to stop her self destructive behavior and get back into school....but took her a year to get the nerve to talk to me, and then open up with what was going on...
so that made me feel good inside, not some hollow victory, but that maybe my efforts are not wasted. And I know I cant save them all, but when they enter my world, it hurts when they fall to the dark side....
and I find it difficult to distance myself, emotionally from my girl...the one that we have been talking about previously...I thought my triggers and issues had been dealt with and resolved, but they came roaring back to life with her. It has prompted me to look for a counselor for me....im surprised that someone got to me this way....I've been doing this job for years, never has a student had this effect. I hope it never happens again....because it is painful and perplexing.