Alt.Noise

After work yesterday, I had a confrontation with one of the biggest troublemakers in the school. Throughout the day, we both knew that it was going to happen  and kept sharing quick jabs at one another. He believed he was better than I and wanted to test his testosterone on me. Well I decided to let him try to step up to the big men's den and so we made the plans to meet up after school. Once we started, he landed the first shot and it was back and forth from there. After a tiring round we decided to take a breather and return in a few minutes to the exciting game of basketball.

The Bad Seed

It was a great and fun time where  I was able to give him some pointers and just pal around a little bit. This boy is stepping into a scary world and trying to figure himself out. More than anything, he needs an older mentor to help guide him down the right directions.Yet, some teachers would go as far as disliking this student, giving up on him, and writing the individual up as a lost cause. Even worse is that it is usually the very opposite of the situation. Those students with behavior problems aren't rebelling against authority but are screaming for loving guidance.

Labels: Everyone's Passion

 There are many boys out there whom get the stigma as a problem child and never lose it for the rest of their lives. I know as a teacher that it is hard not to organize and classify students on their behavior. It is almost impossible to keep on pace of the curriculum whenever you don't have all the kids understood as ones whom are willing and not willing to learn. The problem comes whenever those who aren't learning doesn't come from an unwillingness, but from not knowing how to learn or behave. These kids grow to think that they are scum and black sheep of society and we are the ones who are responsible for the labels. Us, Jesus followers, teachers, pastors, cousins, big brothers, neighbors, nosy observer all label a child as a lost cause or a blessing to the world. Knowing how we felt growing up with a label pointed on us, we continue in the horrible modern tradition. When will the times change and we revolutionize our interactions with the youth of today?