It's hard to help kids through bad decisions

I could hear a low chatter on the radio.  But I was in a classroom observing a social studies class who were re-teaching each other the causes of WWI using a variety of political cartoons.  I dialed the volume knob a little lower knowing that in the afternoon there was often chatter about end of the day activities, etc. However, at the last minute I heard my name.  "Does anyone know where Ms. E. Smith it?" harrumphed a gravely voice.

"I'm in a classroom, doing an observation," I whispered into the handheld radio.

"You are needed in your office."  the voice replied intensely.  Rarely would a staff member pull me out of an observation - those visits are sacrosanct.  However, this sounded serious.  I packed up the laptop, nodded apologetically to the teacher, and headed back to the office.

When I arrived, the three young men sitting in the chairs outside the office looked up at me with grim faces.  "What is the problem?" I asked grimly.

The other Assistant Principal motioned me into his office, "These three were caught vaping in the boys bathroom."

"What the heck is vaping?"  I whispered.

"Smoking e-cigarettes - look at this!" and he handed me a 6 inch purple metallic tube with a glass capsule, filled with a purple liquid.  "The good news is they admitted it immediately - and were very honest."

Point is - kids make mistakes - and the most important thing for me to do is provide them access to the most up-to-date information about the impact of drugs (any drug really) on their brains and body, and help them recover from this mistake and move forward.  Small side bonus - I am kept in the loop about the crazy, stupid, and heart-wrenching things that kids can potentially do - and this I can use to help others make better decisions.  Lesson coming up on e-cigs - what they are (cause they didn't know) and how they can damage the adolescent brain.

Sad day.