Making connections and getting to know students’ lives are more important aspects of teaching than textbooks and exams. Students’ hidden struggles can be seen in the smallest things. An instructor told a tale of how a straightforward essay made all the difference.
One of the kids in my class is lonely.
One boy, Sam, who is in my class of twelve to fourteen-year-olds, always comes across as a little aloof and lonely. It seems that he is highly reclusive and prefers to be by himself. He doesn’t interact with people very often, is too shy to participate in class activities, and does mediocre work in school.
His actions began to shift.
His performance and behavior started to deteriorate. There were times when he would cry for no apparent reason in class. I made an effort to have a private conversation with him, but he never revealed his problems. Then he would suddenly become angry with someone. I tried to be understanding because I thought it might be his hormones or that he was having a bad experience.
In his essay, I discovered something.
Everything seemed normal to me one day as I was going over my students’ essays—that is, until I saw Sam’s work. I was alarmed by something he wrote in the final paragraph of his essay. “My parents will punish me,” he wrote. I’m not coming back. I quickly located him at school, drew him aside, and inquired about his situation.
He filled me in on everything.
He chose to put what was happening to him in writing because he claimed he was too embarrassed to tell anyone. He sobbed for almost an hour, telling me about the way his parents had treated him, and I consoled him. I then took him to a psychologist and addressed the matter by contacting local authorities and other people who could assist him further.
Now he is doing better.
He came up to me later and gave me a hug. “Thank you so much!” he exclaimed. You prevented my death. Sam’s behavior has improved, and although he remains distant from others, he is in a better place all around. I’m glad I could have even a tiny impact on his life.
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