I have a tendency to walk the halls of the middle school where I work with purpose and heavy steps.  I may have learned this from my mother, a teacher who was always moving quickly, whose short legs and long strides I remember jogging to keep up with.

So I was startled when a seventh grader stopped me in the hallway this morning with a query.

He said, “You help people with their reading, right?” I assented and he followed with, “Can you help me?”

Thinking about it now, I’m almost brought to tears.

We talked for a few minutes about the classes that he’s taking – whether or not he has my seventh grade counterpart as a teacher (which he doesn’t). He tells me about the problems he has when he reads aloud and he tells me about his struggles with comprehension.

I have to say that I’m really proud of this kid. I would have been terrified to walk up to a teacher I didn’t know and ask for help. I’m also excited. I’m excited to work with this kid and I’m excited for his educational future. If as a seventh grader he can make sure his educational needs are met, I’m 100% sure he’s not going to get left behind.