This morning our Lead Campus Supervisor and I interviewed for a opening we had for campus security team. I felt like Goldie Locks with the bears... one was didn't have enough experience, one had too much experience (and a very low cut blouse for an interview), one was ideal for an elementary school and one was just right!!
This lady intrigued me with her interview. She has been working for an assisted care facility and when I asked her what experience she had with kids she replied,"Kids or Old Folks there isn't much difference." After I stopped laughing, she went on to explain she had witnessed fights in her adult care facility between Alzheimer patients running into each other with their walkers, she continued saying that you have to watch them closely and that she had mediated many disputes. I HIRED THE LADY ON THE SPOT!
If you think about it, there isn't much difference in adult care facilities and public high schools... both have the shy ones, the brainy ones, the ones with disabilities, and the plain ornery ones! Both facilities serve grotesque meals, provide a little entrainment, and have plenty of drugs upon demand! I guess all of us are doomed to rotate through this vicious cycle until pass on to the after life.
Most kids don't realize just how fortunate they are to have someone to care about them, to boss them around and keep them on the straight and narrow. My lunch was interrupted today by Angie and two members of SVPD's finest. Angie decided that she did not want to come to school today, so she and a couple of friends were just hanging out (bored I'm sure) at the wash which runs through the middle of the city.
Angie is an interesting child. She currently lives in a group home. I am not sure about her past, but I know there is a great need for attention. (And... she will go to great lengths to get that attention.)
In addition to her ride to school with the "Boys in Blue," Angie had multiple referrals waiting for her. Most of them describing her tardiness to class and how when she entered she always caused a huge disturbance in the classroom.
I've tried Saturday Schools, On Campus Suspension, multiple lectures and threats of court, but nothing seemed to work with her... until now. I found her Achilles Heel... lunch detention! By forcing her to eat in isolation, I had removed her audience. (I hate to admit I actually enjoyed her pleading "Please don't make me do that!") If she fails to make it to lunch detention, I promised her own personal escort. She seemed quite pleased that I might be the one walking her to class. How does a child get to this point? Most teenagers cringe at the thought of my attention, rarely do I find a kid that actually welcomes it.
I guess whether we are young or old, we all need to know that someone cares... someone is there to keep us on the right track be it in walkers or hanging out in the wash. Only time will tell if I have found the right ammunition to deal with years of painful memories in this child's life... the key is trying to find that delicate balance between unconditionally loving those in need, yet still holding them accountable for their actions.
