Life Goes On

My second year at MLK brought its own set of challenges and obstacles. One of the most intriguing was a "mixed" class of students. First, I had a small group of 10th grade boys who were decent students but needed personalized instruction to stay in school. They were going to be a challenge all on their own. Then, my department chairperson came and asked me to take on four additional students. A group of academically advanced girls needed junior English first thing in the morning before heading off to the local community college for most of their classes. As the junior English teacher, I felt compelled to take them on. However, that meant adding them to the mix of struggling boys. What a crew!

The girls were wonderful and incredibly self-motivated. Ultimately, they graduated high school with associate's degrees from the community college, and they all went on to get college degrees. I believe at least one of them already has a master's degree. I enjoyed the time I spent with smart students doing good, solid academic work. 

However, this blog entry is really about the boys, well one of the boys in particular. 

Robert intrigued me from the first time he stepped into my classroom. He looked like a thug, carried himself like a thug, and, well, was in fact, a thug. He lived in a world filled with a code of ethics based on violence, deceit, and twisted loyalty. However, he was a polite gentleman and downright chivalrous to me on a daily basis. He was also eager to learn. I mean wide-eyed-"what-are-we-doing-today"-ready-for-the-hard-stuff eager to learn. But don't let his friends know that! His tough guy exterior belied his interest in words and language. He would slough into class with a devil may care attitude right as the bell would ring or maybe a few minutes after, but I could see his eyes light up when I would start teaching something new. 

He could write! His poetry about his life was heart wrenchingly honest and provocative. He had a clear, crisp voice and perspective about the life he was leading. He would slip poems into my drawer on the sly and come see me later to get my feedback (privately, of course...his friends could never know!). I loved those conversations about his work. He so wanted to be a good poet. He wanted to be better.

Then came the day that almost ended it all. On the morning under discussion, Robert walked into class wearing his winter coat all zipped up and slumped into a desk. He looked tired. When I asked if he was okay, he simply nodded and leaned his head against the wall. I left him alone for a couple minutes before going to check on him. 

When I glanced over at him again, he had unzipped his coat a little. I could see blood on the t-shirt he was wearing under the coat. I didn't want to alarm the whole class, but I had to know what was going on. So, I took Robert to the back of the room and asked what had happened. Well, that didn't really help because there were only 8 students in the room. So, Robert ended up telling the whole class what had happened.

Robert had been out workin' the neighborhood with his cousin overnight. They'd been driving their territory looking for customers who wanted to buy their product. Robert had been riding in the backseat of his cousin's car. Apparently, they got a little too close to a rival gang's turf because someone shot a few warning shots in their direction and a stray bullet hit his cousin who was riding in the front seat. Blood had sprayed all over the car and the other three passengers. The driver had gone straight to the hospital where they'd spent the rest of the night getting his cousin the help he needed.

When I asked Robert why he hadn't gone home to change before coming to school, his reply was, "I didn't want to be late for class, Ms. Hoskins. You said we was doin' poetry today. I didn't wanna miss the chance to read my new stuff. I got it right here!" He took a wad of wrinkled paper out of his pocket and grinned at me. I couldn't believe this guy wanted to be in class after the night he had spent. I couldn't frame my mind around the horrific events and the normalcy of coming to school. However, in a world of crazy events, I guess life goes on...