Sitting in a parent conference, a father, special education teacher, general education teacher and speech teacher and I were gathered to determine how to best meet the needs of this particular student. Reading is a struggle for this young one, contributed to by a weakness in working memory, decoding and fluency issues, as well as processing. The team commended this parent on his child's commitment and desire to succeed, often two traits that are already buried for young people who have reached sixth grade not reading on grade level, and we encouraged him to continue the work he and mom have done supporting the child to read and value the benefits of an education.
He leaned back, then, and in a gravelly voice told us the story of his motivation: a comment from a fellow inmate in the penitentiary, teasing him about the success of his children in school by saying, "You think maybe your kids will graduate before you do?" His voice filled with pride when he said, "But I did it. On my birthday my prison teacher handed me an envelope. I opened it, and inside was my GED."
For all of us, there was a moment of silence; the enormity of his accomplishment, and everything else wrapped up in that story, was stunning...and inspiring.
This is a reminder that we don't always know the whole story of others. Everyone faces battles and has a history we do not necessarily know.
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