As some of you know, I have been tutoring a foster child lately. This student lives in a group home, attends a day facility (instead of school), and is reading on the first grade level at best and he is 12 years old. He wants to do better in school and is so respectful during my time with him.
Last week I left him with a list of spelling words. This week I brought him a mini quiz on those words. I told him that if he got at least a 80 on the quiz, he would get a prize. The kid did AMAZING. Made a 100! So I asked him to tell me his favorite kind of candy.
Student: I don't know.
Me: What do you mean? It's candy! You have to like something better than all the others.
Student: No, I really don't have any idea.
Something hit me in that moment, a realization I suppose. I felt so stupid. He lives in a group home. He doesn't even attend a normal school. He probably never sees candy. His life isn't full of love and positive-reinforcement. His life is about making sure he gets processed through the system.
Broke my heart!
We spent the rest of our time reading One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. I wish I had a camera when I broke out that book. He recognized it! He struggled through 30 minutes of reading aloud to me, but he told me that he loved the book. I wanted to cry. I read it to Emory all the time. Emory might not have his life laid out on a silver platter for him, but he has a mama that reads to him and a daddy that will play football with him. My student has no one specifically devoted to him.
This week has quite literally been filled with one disappointment after another, but today put it all in perspective. God is SO good!
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