It’s the Tough Kids

After days of struggling to motive reluctant students, hours spent suffocating under piles of test papers as I muddle my way through dozens of report cards, and countless moments dealing with discipline problems miles outside my expertise or experience…

After hearing countless stories of messed up lives, hurts in children deeper than those most of us experience in a lifetime…

All I can really say is… the tough ones worm their way into your heart.

Unlike some teachers, I didn’t necessarily enter the profession to work with under-privileged kids. Working with elementary students, and especially those struggling academically (and often socially) was never even on my radar screen. How did I end up as the temporary resources room teacher at one of Lethbridge’s most difficult schools? God must have had things to teach me.

Despite the challenges, I’m loving my time with the dirty faces, broken little hearts, and lives lived for years unrestrained by positive outside influence. Yes, I’m thankful my contract is finished June 17th. Still, there is something about the tough kids; their great needs make every little thing you do seem so much more significant.