Broadening horizons....

As part of my job, I arrange day trips and activities for the students at school – I’ve arranged a very full program for the six week holiday.

Today I spoke to one of the younger children from the school about the activities. He couldn’t believe that they would have access to these trips. The boy in question told me that ‘things like that are always for other people, not us’. One of the simplest trips – a day at a space centre – had him amazed. He’s had a long term interest in space and related topics, but his family have never recognized it as anything more than a ‘phase he’s going through’. They’ve certainly never encouraged him.

In the last few weeks I’ve worked closely with the science department, and I’ve been amazed at how many kids are desperately eager to learn when given the opportunity. Other kids who are labeled troublemakers are dumbfounded at the idea of a day in Wales – a ninety minute trip, but one that their familes won’t make because they don’t venture outside our city.

And no – it’s not a matter of money. One of the more affluent families in our school has a Mercedes I’d die for, but they refused to let their child go on a day-trip to London this year because, ‘What good will it do him? He lives here’.

It saddens me to see so many children brought up it such a way – their minds closed to 99% of the world because they’ll never go there.

My kids are lucky – we’ve encouraged them to do as much as they can. They’re both on school council, because they want to make a difference, even my seven year old, and I’m so proud of that. They’ve been on cruises, they’ve been to Pompeii, Rome, Casablanca – they know there is life outside our city, and so many kids don’t. We’ve worked damned hard to pay for these things, nothing is taken for granted.

Parts of my job I love – other parts, such as seeing kids who think the world stops two streets away I don’t like. A boy was just brought into my office by a teacher – the boy had been rude to me at lunchtime, pushed past me, disobeyed me, verbally abused me…..

….he stood there in his shirt that hadn’t been washed for three weeks, trousers still caked in mud from when he fell last Monday, and big rips in both that hadn’t been sewn. It turned out that he was on the corridor (where he’s not supposed to be) because all the other students make fun of him because of his appearance. So, if he’s in places he shouldn’t be, at least no kids are hitting him because he smells, and he sees teacher interaction, whether positive or negative, as attention.

Instead of putting him on suspension, I’ve now got him doing a duty with me – HE will patrol the corridors and stop kids being in off-limit areas. Hopefully he’ll see that positive attention from a member of staff is better than the negative variety.

When he left my office, he actually smiled and said…. ‘thanks Miss’.

Will give my girls such massive hugs tonight.

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