Cathartic moment...

Today while having mini-conferences with each student, I had a particularly painful one with S, a girl whose confrontational nature and loud voice has been colliding my nerves so much recently it's been distressing. We were talking quietly and earnestly and she just started shaking and crying and saying she failed freshman year, she failed this fall, what's going to happen to her? All the bravado and anger and racism she's spat all year faded, and I remembered how young she was as I put my arm around her and reminded her that it was never too late for a second chance...

It reminds me that behind every single sneering adolescent is a teary one.

Oh and it makes all my griping and whining seem so selfish.


Two interesting links from edwize:
A reminder that the successful teacher in today's climate is Type A (read:not me)


Another reminder that the successful teacher in today's climate is a NEAT type A (not me, nope, definitely not)