Yesterday a student left my school. At a meeting with administration before my class started, he was informed that he would not graduate on time. His parents therefore withdrew him from school. The boy visited my classroom on his way out of school. I assumed that he had had "the meeting" but played dumb. When he said, "See ya later, Mr. Johnson" I replied "But it's not 2:30 yet."
Some thoughts . . .
There are some lessons I can't teach. There are some learnings I can't guarantee. I surmise this boy is fighting addiction to drugs (he betrays some of the mood-swing tendencies and honesty issues I associate with junkies). I've known him since sophomore year, and he took an extra year just to get to senior year. I've known that he is troubled for some time. He was passing my class at the time of his departure - it was problems elsewhere that prompted his removal from school.
I'm rambling.
I don't disagree with my administrator's decision to prompt his removal from school. I feel sad because I just saw a boy take a turn onto another road. It's a sad road he's traveling. A harder road, through his choosing and his parents' choosing. I wish him well, though I think the best case scenario is that life goes well only after something scary takes place. In other words, I don't think he's hit rock bottom yet, even though yesterday he got word that he won't be earning a diploma, and that his admission to his college (yes, he was accepted to a college!) is in jeopardy. I don't think yesterday's conference changed that.
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Note my tortured wording regarding the boy's status. Did he drop out? Technically I don't think he did. Did he fail to graduate? Technically I don't think that's true. I think he voluntarily withdrew. And I think at graduation we will hear once again that 100% of our seniors graduated. I know this boy is not the only who had a "Dear John" conference yesterday. What kind of a shell game are we playing with graduation statistics in public education now? For years we've graduated "college-ready" students who couldn't hack college and who couldn't graduate within six years. I think that's been a problem we have deferred dealing with for years and years. I think it's bill is about to come due.
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A high school diploma isn't an entitlement. It's a privilege to be earned. The right to earn it is an entitlement. Though sad, I think the students' withdrawal yesterday serves a valuable purpose.
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I'm wondering if my reply to the boy was too weak yesterday. I surmised he had been "kicked out" but I never said goodbye to him. Never grasped his hand and said good luck. Then again, was he deserving of that. Maybe my hand-grasp-good-luck is for the kid who earned a diploma but is worried about the next step.
I often think that the best I can do for a student in turbulence is to play it straight. This boy is probably facing down an ugly addiction, but isn't at the point yet where he admits to needing help. I think I do my best when I play my role as the stable, honest adult. Earlier this year I learned of a girl on my roster fighting a terminal illness. The girl never brought it up with me. I decided I'd never bring it up with her. Nor did I excuse her from expectations for the class, though I was very flexible with deadlines. I'm not doing her a favor by giving her something out of sympathy rather than giving her the chance to earn it.
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