Student W.

Day 1 of School. I welcome my students into class and am excited for them to get to know me and each other. I have strategically placed a yellow notecard on their desk with a new, fresh, clean box of Crayola Markers. What kid doesn't love markers? Their instruction was to use their notecard to write their name and use the markers to decorate. Stripes, Flowers and lots of hearts were drawn as 12 out of my 17 students are girls. I look over and see this one little boy sitting about 2 feet away from his table with his hands stiffly crossed and the most horrible look on his face. W.

I had heard plenty of stories about W from the year before and to be quite honest with you, was a little nervous about having him in my class. I knew that he was a little rough and tough boy with a not so great home life. So I looked at him and in my head thought, "Ok. Here we go. It's going to be a long year with this little one."

I walked over to his desk with a smile on my face and put my hand on his back and quietly asked him if he would like to come to the table to decorate his name tag. "NO." was the response I received. Eventually we got through the first day of school and the arms came uncrossed, but the horrible look remained on his face.

As the weeks went by I struggled with how to interact with this child. At times he completely refused to do anything. I would ask him to do his work and he would turn his head and shout "NO!" I found myself at recess and during lunch either in tears or fuming due to his behavior. And quite frankly at times thinking in my head, "Why can't 7 and 8 year olds just sit quietly in their chair and participate like I ask them to." And in a second I realized....because they are 7 and 8 years old.

W has story. He comes from a family where his mother and father are still married and live in the same house, but often act as if they are not married. His father is a recovering alcoholic who runs two fruit stands in town who has be saved by God's grace. His mother is an angry, abusive woman who grudgingly works for her husband.

As the days, weeks, and months have gone by I have begun to see more of W's story. He is a child of God. The arms crossed and horrible look on his face still exists, but there is a sweet, loving heart behind it all. He is smart. He is a leader. He is lovable. I have prayed and prayed for W. His behavior is like a roller coaster, but God is right beside him through it all.

Our guidance counselor and I set up a meeting with his parents to discuss his behavior and things going on at home. I was nervous and scared. We sat and talked about their relationship, what things are like at home and I saw that same horrible look on his mother's face. But as we continued to talk and I shared what I saw in W the tears began to flow from her eyes. She has a story. My prayer for her is that as God is sitting right beside her that she would acknowledge Him and let Him in on her life.

I look at W and think about where he will be in 20 years. I pray that he continues to fight. That he continues to seek the Lord. And he will be a revolutionary!