Just a Kid from West Clermont

We started to use the saying "Just a Kid from Amelia" last year to celebrate achievements by Amelia graduates. With the merge of the district's high schools, we now begin "Just a Kid from West Clermont." The saying signifies that even though West Clermont students seem to be average, or even disadvantaged, they can go on to do amazing things. From my experiences teaching in the district, many of our students are amazing every day in their ability to survive hardships and continue to show up. In this blog I want to talk about one such student.

I taught this student in eighth grade and again as a junior. He is a smart and insightful kid. He always caught onto new concepts quickly. He was opinionated and presented his arguments with evidence. I could always count on him to participate. (If you're not a teacher, you may not know what a gift it is when a student is always willing to help carry a class discussion.)

At some point during his junior year, this student showed up to school less and less. It was unlike him. When I probed, he was always "fine." I thought like many students he was losing interest in school - lacking the motivation to get to school before dawn each day. He was bright enough to keep up with our content and keep his grades passing.

Our last assignment for the year was for each student to present a TED Talk to the class. Students could pick any topic and had ten minutes to speak. I instructed students that TED Talks intended to change the way the audience looked at a subject - whether by pulling at our heartstrings or offering new logic.

Things had gotten so bad that as a class we hoped this students would be at school for his talk - it was his exam grade. A testament to his likability, his classmates were genuinely relieved when he walked through the door to deliver his talk.

He began his talk with the opening sentence, "I think they should have a separate school for students that are homeless." It turns out that this student had spent several months during the school year living in a homeless shelter. He talked about how difficult it was to come to school and hear students worrying about issues that were beyond life's necessities. His worries became where to get food and how to keep his clothes clean. He imagined these students returning to their home, their bedroom, their own personal space at the end of each day.

I was shocked. And, to be honest, these moments occur at least monthly in my teaching career. The quiet student who does all her homework and aces every test and then tells the class that her mom was a victim of the opioid epidemic. The many students who have one or both parents in jail. The students who are in foster care because of abuse. The stories go on and on.

These students are amazing because they show up and carry on in the face of unknown adversity. "Just a kid from West Clermont" means so much to me. Our kids are special. There are many obstacles in their way and they continue to show up. Some flourish on their own; others need all the love and encouragement our community can give to get them through.

The homeless student is an example of a student I would love to give a college education to. He deserves it. He would love college courses that go into narrow topics in detail. He would add insightful comments in those courses. The truth is he is not much different than I was in high school - inquisitive, curious, witty and articulate. My circumstances were different, but I do not want that to matter.

I hope that West Clermont can rise up and one student at a time help kids from West Clermont fulfill their potential. I know that each graduating class has many deserving students who need help to get the advantages that many of us take for granted. We need to remember that "Just a Kid from West Clermont" means a kid is packed with resilience, determination, and grit!