Granola Bar Boy
When I started my job as the AES Supervisor at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, I knew I was going to be in for a wild ride. AES stands for Alternative Education Setting. Basically it's just a nice way of saying it's a special secluded environment for students to come if they need a quiet space to work, room to calm down, or they're serving a detention or in school suspension time. I knew that I was going to see & hear things that would hurt my heart deeply, that students would challenge me, that I was going to grow a lot. I was up for the challenge.
Early on in the school year, a student was caught stealing breakfast from the cafeteria. He repeatedly denied this action & was sent to my room for the day. He was incredibly irritated & when asked if he wanted to talk about it, he simply shook his head no. We spent the first hour or so in silence until I finally asked him if he was hungry. Just a simple question. I had an extra granola bar in my bag & offered it over to him. He looked at me & reluctantly took the granola bar. This peace offering was the start to a beautiful relationship.
After a good fifteen minutes of conversation, this student & I now had a mutual understanding of one another & the situation at hand. The student admitted to stealing breakfast & told me that he hadn't eaten dinner the night before or breakfast that morning. Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be too pleasant if I had missed two meals in a row either, & I'm not an adolescent boy! He knows that stealing breakfast is wrong, but he felt that there wasn't another choice. We promised each other something: I would make sure to ALWAYS have a stock of granola bars in my room for him if he promised to NEVER steal food again. To this day, we have each kept our end of the deal.
I now have to buy the 60 pack because these granola bars have become my peace offering with many hungry students who enter this room.
This story is humbling for me. He was absolutely delighted when he came into my room the next day for a granola bar & I presented him with three different options from a variety pack. I'll remember the look on his face for the rest of my life.
Who knew something as small as having a variety pack of granola bars would be the highlight of a kid's day. A kid who missed dinner the night before + breakfast that morning. A kid who is funny & respectful when he feels respected. A kid who is challenging to love, but desperately needs it. All kids deserve full tummies & full hearts. Let me say it louder for the people in the back. All kids deserve full tummies & full hearts.
I'm thankful for my mom who supports my passion & has donated (a few boxes of) granola bars for my always hungry middle schoolers!
I'm thankful for students, like granola bar boy, who humble me & continue to teach me how to serve & love people better.