May 3, 2011
I was listening to a radio program this afternoon on which a woman who had run away from home at the age of 13 was giving her testimony. After living a rebellious and dangerous life on the streets, Iris Blue came to Christ and began working with young people who are struggling with the same inner pain and outward rebellion she experienced. With grammar that made this librarian wince, but an eloquence more profound than most educators', she described how we should approach these children... And it is not how it is currently being done. She claims, and rightly so, that teenagers need to be treated as individuals with respect for their differeing circumstances and needs.
I work with teachers every day who expect nothing but the worst from many of their students, and get just that. I also work with students every day who are nothing but polite and eager to please. And sometimes I am shocked to find out that these are the same students about whom other teachers complain. I am finding myself more and more frustrated as I daily face disapproval from my peers when I am "too nice" to the wrong students.
As a librarian, I find myself in a unique position within the school. I do not have to extract a specific amount of work from these children. Instead, it is my role to make sure that they are supplied with the resources they need to be successful in their classes. Oh, there are still challenges. Some students don't think they need help. Some don't think they will get it even if they do ask. And some are just too angry to care. With these children, I must first create a relationship in which they feel comfortable asking me for assistance. Only then can learning take place. If the library is seen as a place where students are not welcome, or worse, are a bother and interruption to the staff, then it is not fulfilling its role within the structure of the school.
The "good" students will always do well. They will be able to navigate the resources, print or electronic, without too much difficulty, and also probably have a high level of support at home. It does not take much effort to be kind to or to help these children.
However, the students who need the most encouragement and support are usually the ones who are the most unloveable as well. If we, as the adults and the professionals, cannot find the resolve to put our personal feelings aside and serve these children, then we do not deserve to be drawing a paycheck in a public school. Yes, some children are ugly. Some smell bad. Some spit when they talk. Some are tiresome and needy. Some talk too much. Some wiggle too much. Some have already been so beaten down by life that they don't care about themselves anymore. Too many teachers say, "Well, if they don't care, why should I?" I want to answer, "Because it's your job. Because it's the right thing to do. Because you know better. Not to mention, how well would you be working if your dad was arrested last night or your mom tried to kill herself last weekend?"
Case in point: Matthew, a senior in serious danger of reliving his senior year, was caught texting in my reference room. It would have been very easy to confiscate his phone and give him yet another lecture in his long day. Instead, I told him, "I'm not going to bust you, but you owe me one period of tutoring. Come in during your study hall and we'll get some of your back work done." I expected him to reluctantly comply, but instead he said incredulously, "You would do that for me?" As it turns out, he is completely willing and able to complete his work on his own. All he needed was a little help with organization and someone to care. He now checks in once or even twice a day to make sure all of his work is up to date. On Monday, I received an email from one of Matthew's teachers who had previously referred to him as a "slug" who would definitely be back next year. She says if he keeps this up he just may graduate after all.
So if you walk by my room, don't judge me because I'm letting Jonathan talk my ear off about things you don't find important. Or I let Marci take her phone out just to show me the picture of her new puppy. Or I allowed Lucas to sit behind my desk and feel important for a few minutes out of his miserable week. I'm a teacher. And to me that means a whole lot more than cramming information into anonymous brains.
If you don't approve, stay out of my library.
If you would like to hear the podcast of Iris' story, go to:
http://www.fln.org/media/family-life-podcasts/detail/inside-out-75-trophy-of-grace/
