Sweet success!

photo by Evan Stoecker (link below)

Em passed!! She passed! She passed not one, but ALL of her final exams: math, socials, science, and English. God I'm proud of her. I'm so happy she did it. Do you know what this means for her?
This means she can have a summer where she doesn't have to worry about school one iota. She can spend time with her family and her new baby sister and laugh play and maybe forget a little about the assault. She can have adventures or go to the mall with her friends or catch a movie, guilt free. 

All of them! She passed ALL of them! I hate to say it, but I almost can't believe it. She worked hard when we had sessions together, but she was so far behind that I was worried that she wouldn't be able to cover all the material. She told me she crammed hard for days on end to make it all fit. She's done so well. 

But you know what makes me feel like a success? She doesn't need to see me anymore. She's given me her new Blackberry pin so that I can have her on blackberry messenger. Me. Her math tutor. She wants to stay connected, stay in touch. If you've never taught a person, never helped someone out and then celebrated with them when they finally reach their goals, I highly recommend it. It may be the greatest feeling in the world.

I've heard it said that teaching is the greatest form of optimism, that nothing could be closer to true faith than having a steadfast belief in another person, in a human that you ultimately cannot control. When I walked into InnerCity high and asked if I could help teach the kids who are falling through the cracks, one teacher actually said to me "really? Why?" He looked at me like I was insane for wanting to be here. But someone needs to pay attention to them, even when they've messed up, even when they don't deserve it. Someone needs to care how they did on their last test and whether or not they got home safe from the party last weekend. And sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, it all pays off.

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/evsteck/2549249584/sizes/s/in/photostream/)