Via con Dios, mijo.

 We take them all. 

Through the doors of public schools everywhere enter kids of every ability level, income bracket, mental health state, nationality, and willingness to learn. We take them all. Students come to us as delicate little sponges ready to soak up the world. Some have had three squares a day and a safe place to rest their head at night. Others, not so much. Transient families are doing their best to survive and I'm supposed to teach their child multiplication of fractions and creating engaging introductory paragraphs. 

Public school is the land of opportunity. Although not always without adversity and obstacles, I believe that anyone can receive a quality education that prepares them for life into adulthood if they are willing to show up and participate. The disparaging differences between the have's and have not's is disgusting but real. Yet in spite of that, I do still teach because I feel called to try to make a child's day brighter by caring enough about every one of them to expect their best every day that we're together. For some, they've come from wonderful families that have laid foundations that support learning and make my job easy. For others, they've overcome unbearable circumstances to rise above and start pathways to a beautiful life ahead. 

We take them all.

And we love them while we have them.

The principal showed up at my door in the midst of a math lesson and asked me to the hallway. There she gave me the immediate news. It felt like a gut punch. I didn't have time to ask many questions as his family was waiting in the office. We called Eduardo to the hall. In Spanish I asked him if he knew why his mother was here. He looked down to the floor and I reached out for a hug. He sadly wrapped his arms around me and tears started to fall.

Eduardo was abruptly picked up from school at 2:00 on a Friday. His parents pulled him from school before the end of the school day and in an instant - they were off to Cincinnati. 

Seriously - Ohio. 

As quickly as they had blown into town, they were off again. I honestly didn't expect Eduardo to be here for 5th grade but I was optimistic that he'd finish out the school year with us. He had become such a welcomed addition to our classroom and was really making meaningful connections with his classmates. That was apparent when I asked 4 boys to help us pack up his belongings while the principal took the others outside. It made for a more personal goodbye between classmates and friends that had established a bond in spite of a language barrier. 

One of the bigger challenges of my 20 year career had been a smashing success. So much more is learned at school outside of textbooks and curriculum.