Spinoff to Trust Issues Series:
Aaliyah and Austin aren't teenagers anymore, they're all grown up and dealing with grown up issues. Being far from home and away from Armoni and Jerome's guidance, they're trying to figure out things on their own. Jo...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I stood outside of the school as I gave all of the incoming students fist bumps and words of encouragement. The odds were stacked against these kids and by doing this every day, I just wanted them to know they had somebody in their corner encouraging them and rooting them to the finish line. I just wanted them to be successful.
Our school was located right smack dab in the middle of the hood. In the heart of the projects. Our school was one of the lowest academic performing schools in our district. Due to the fact that these kids had all these challenges to face outside of school, their academics was the least of their worries.
I had kids living in single parent homes, kids depending on the government to take care of them, kids constantly having to look over their shoulder for their safety and well-being, kids wondering where their next meal was coming from, kids with parents addicted to drugs and alcohol, kids affiliated with gangs and involved in crime related activities, and kids with kids themselves.
If our scores weren't up to par at the end of the year, the state was going to shut us down. They would all have to be bussed and sent to another school in another area to people that didn't give a damn about them. I wasn't letting that happen on my watch.
This was only my second year as principal of the school but in my two years of being here, our scores had raised tremendously. We still weren't at the standard that State wanted us to be but we had improved and I was proud of that. Academically, we're not where we should be but we're better than we have been.
"Morning Coach K." Shaquita sang as she bumped her fist up against mine. One of her hands rested on her pregnant belly while the other held onto her book bag. At seventeen years old she was on her second child. Her determination and focus amazed me. Despite her circumstance, she pushed herself. She was a senior this year and she would be the first in her family to graduate high school and go to college.
Her father was in jail serving a life sentence for repeated drug charges but he remained as consistent in her life as he could from behind bars. Her mother was a totally different story, she bounced around from man to man, not even worried about her four children. She was physically there at times but mentally, she wasn't there at all. Leaving Shaquita and her boyfriend to take care of their child as well as her three younger siblings.
"Good morning Ms. Hicks, you eat today?" I asked her. In taking care of all those kids, she tends to forget about herself in the process. She makes sure her siblings and son are fed, but neglects herself at times, although she's seven months pregnant.
"Um I-"
"Come by my office after first bell." I said cutting her off, already knowing the answer.
"Yes sir." She nodded.
The majority of the students were already in the building, waiting for the first bell to ring. They were most likely in the cafeteria eating the breakfast that the state provided for free. For many of my students, here was the only place they were able to get a meal. Most of the kids of age, had jobs to help support their household but that wasn't the case for all of them.
