Summer… and Endings…
Yesterday was my last day of school. Today summer has begun! When I was coming up and in the city I was raised, from what I knew, this was a time of celebration and happiness and endless opportunities. Yesterday, in the kids I work with… I did NOT see enthusiasm! I saw FEAR!
Granted, I am not referring to ALL kids in the school where I work… but a surprising number. A number large enough to get me to notice DEFINITELY… and worry. Many of the 5th graders with whom I work, and will start at the middle school next year were TERRIFIED to leave the safety and comfort of the only school (or one of the schools possibly) they had known so far and begin the new journey through middle school. This was not the “normal” anxiousness and nervousness about “what comes next”… this was full scale bawling and shutting down and hiding in corners… and simply behavior that was quite unexpected.
To me, these kids were genuinely terrified! It made me wonder, why are they so scared? It’s only middle school… just another transition… no big deal, guys. Be happy! Celebrate! You did it! But then I ACTUALLY thought about it… the world these kids inhabit and know, in MANY ways IS a scary place! And it IS getting scarier! These kids ARE scared… they ARE anxious… they ARE uncertain about what comes next… and SO AM I…
Oh, man! That IS sad and scary.
I remember REALLY looking forward to middle school, but I was fortunate that my life had so many areas of stability so I was ABLE to handle big changes like that. For some of your students, taking on such a big change on top of a possibly unstable life is a lot to handle. These kids are also now living in a world where schools sometimes hold the threat of danger…from peers, school shootings, adults who maybe don’t support in ways they should…
Change is hard no matter what stage of life you are in, but it is even more difficult when you don’t have the support you need.
I’m glad you are a source of support in their lives.
Yea… I HOPE I am a support! But it can sometimes be very discouraging and somewhat overwhelming if you stop to think about how much these kids are facing and the limited support I can ACTUALLY give… I DEFINITELY feel like I am swimming AGAINST a rising tide… but in a sense, that provides inspiration as well because I think if I don’t provide my small “anchor” of support… maybe the tide of the world they face is just too strong. And lastly, the connections these kids are willing to make if you TRULY offer a “helping hand” is BEYOND REWARDING for me… the kids that face the most in this life are also the kids who truly appreciate “help”… and that MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME! Thanks again for another great comment, Betsy.