Since Ryan is in 6th grade, this is likely the last year that I will spend any significant amounts of time volunteering in his classroom. So, I actually go twice a week. I go Wednesdays to his math class and tutor some of the struggling kids. I hear you laughing. Yes, I am a 6th grade math tutor! Who would have thought that I, who had to take College Algebra THREE TIMES in college would be a math tutor. Good thing it’s only 6th grade!
Ryan loves his main teacher (they rotate for math, social science, and science). She is great. Her husband was just deployed to “an undisclosed location” a little bit before Christmas. I go there every Friday morning at the beginning of the school day to help her with whatever she needs in the classroom.
On Friday, January 6, she wasn’t there. I was surprised, since the kids had just gone back on Tuesday. The student teacher was subbing. Right after I got there, before I even had a chance to ask about his teacher, the assistant principal came in. He called four boys to leave the classroom with him for a chat.
The main problem kid in the class was not one that was called out. After he watched the other four kids walk out of the classroom with the assistant principal, he said (loudly), “Did anyone notice that I’M STILL HERE?!?!” He was so proud that he wasn’t one that was called out for being in trouble!
He had just been moved to Ryan’s table a couple of days before. I congratulated him for still being in the class, and for not being called out. He said, “I owe it all to YOUR SON. I haven’t gotten in trouble since I’ve been on this table!”
I said, “I’m sure you had something to do with it.”
He responded by saying, “Let’s say it was 99% Ryan, 1% me.”
When the assistant principal came back in, he had a great discussion with the kids. He reminded them how difficult this time is with the teacher’s husband being away, especially since he can’t tell her where he is. He challenged the kids to be as well-behaved as they possibly could so that it would partially ease the teacher’s stress. I think his words really touched most of the kids.
Ryan is such a good kid, and is such a good example to those around him. He is a natural leader, and students respect him as a member of the student council. At the end of the day, Ryan and I talked about additional ways that he can continue to help the other kids behave better.
I shared this quote with Ryan:
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
~Edmund Burke
Now, obviously sixth graders are not evil…most of them, anyway. :) But Ryan and I had a great discussion about how much one “good man” can do to help influence his surroundings for the better.
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