Day 12: Call a parent with good news

It was my Friday afternoon and I was eagerly driving away from school, ready to begin my Mothers Day weekend. A night of celebrating Latin American independence with nachos and Coors (Colorado was once part of the Spanish Empire) had made the Friday afternoon bell even sweeter.  However, I could not stop thinking of the boy from my last class who tentatively asked me if there was anything he could do to help his failing friend (35%) pass English 10. He confided in me that he sure hated to see his friend left behind and would be more than willing to complete assignments for him. He even offered to give the student some of his points.   I told him unfortunately that would not be possible but I appreciated his concern. Thoughts of his kindness and genuine empathy would not leave me. So I called the school and requested his phone number from a very annoyed bookkeeper who was clearly ready to leave. I then called his mother and shared with her the story. I explained to her that such compassion is uncommon at that age and that her son is a true asset to our class. I am fairly sure she was moved to tears because I know I was.