As an intro I work at a alternate school for kids who have been expelled from other schools (Hillcrest). One day this past school year I sat in on a class to observe and/or help if needed. During this class there was a conversation that happened between one of the students and the teacher that really changed my perspective on things.
The guy talked about how everyday he felt like he was in danger of being badly hurt or killed. He never felt a sense of safety and felt as if though he had to look over his shoulder at every moment. The only way he said he could truly be free of this lifestyle was to move away to a place where no one would know him. He hoped to get out of Kenosha as soon as possible, but being that he was just 16 he couldn't yet. He was trapped here. It made me think about how I only on occasion feel in danger. I dont have to deal with it on a constant basis. How I never felt trapped in his sense. I didn't feel the need to make myself look intimidating to not get beat up. I mostly felt safe and therefore was able to focus on my schoolwork and other things other than merely surviving.
This taught me that situations have a lot of complexities that we have no idea about. That a lot of the students that go to Hillcrest actually have similar situations they endure everyday. That their intimidating personalities and their threats to fight other students stems a place of protecting themselves/surviving. If they show weakness they put themselves in danger. That some of this danger may even come from their own families who were meant to protect them. They're more focused on survival then school work and understandably so. We first must get to a place of safety before we can pursue other needs. They're so focused on survival they fall behind in school and are distracted by such things.
These kids aren't just "bad" kids who fall behind in school because they're lazy. This may be a part of it but it's a small part of the big picture. These kids need most of all to be shown encouragement and find a sense of safety/love when they're at school because maybe that's really the only time they'll experience this. It also takes a lot of patience and empathy to fully understand these children but getting through to them and having a positive impact is a very fulfilling goal.
