have a little faith

it amazes me that sometimes no matter how much i do things the same way, i get different results. i can spend one day with kids at the center and not have to ask anyone to be quiet or stay on task and then there are other days when i feel like i all i do is argue, reason, and beg with the kids to do the homework that they came to the center to do in the first place. there is no doubt that it is frustrating, but i cant get mad at the kids for acting like kids. so the next day i just start over and have some faith that it can only get better from yesterday.

this is also the case with one of the high school students in particular. sometimes he can work and finish 5 math assignments in one session and other days he will spend an hour and half goofing around and only end up finishing one math problem. so whats the issue? why is that one day he can come in and do all his work with no problems and the next day i spend 99% of my time with him feeling like i am interacting with and talking to an elementary school student?

this student is BEYOND capable of doing his work and is very intelligent, but his whole life, his family has never expected much of him. his family doesnt see his potential and it is disappointing. on more than one occasion, his mother has told me that there is no way that this student will ever go to college, he is not a good student, and he will ultimately end up working in a technical trade when he graduates from high school. and while choosing to work in a trade is fine, i know that this student can achieve much more than that. he loves to build things and almost understands geometry better than i do. the way in which is thinks would be perfect for pursuing a career in engineering or architecture, but these things are "out of the question" because he is "not college bound".

i suppose that when you have heard for 17 years of your life that you are a class clown, have little academic potential, and are not expected to go to college, it is easy to goof off and not care about your school work even when you are smart enough and have the potential to excel. and while i cant control what has happened in this students past, i have faith that i can hopefully help him realize how smart he really is for the future. i just wish that his family and teachers and the other adults he interacts with would be able to look past his frustrating behavior and be able to see the potential that he has. maybe thats all he needs. im not sure how much of a difference one person can make in changing his attitude, but its worth a shot! maybe all he needs is someone to have a little faith in him and then he can feel the same way about himself.