Introduction

Since it is Red Ribbon Week, I was reminded of a story sent to me last school year. This story will shock some, be no surprise to others, but hopefully will serve as a cautionary example of the students that sit in classrooms around the world.

Teacher Submitted Story

“I haven’t had any alcohol in like three months.” These words proudly proclaimed by a fourteen-year-old girl whose Juul I had confiscated from another student a short time earlier.

As is normally the circumstance, when you bust one kid doing something wrong, they are typically not going to go down alone, so they rat out their accomplice.  Such was this case. Vaping is a HUGE problem in most schools today and ours is no exception. I had been watching a few students for a little while and finally had the opportunity to catch one in the act. It is frustrating, to say the least, when you know what is going on under your nose but can’t seem to be in the right place at the right time to stop it. I finally was in the right place at the right time.

Taking A Deep Breath

And God gave me the grace to handle things in a different way.

Normally, I might have handled things with irritation, and while I was quite irritated, without intending to, I found myself calmly speaking with the first student trying to reach her in a different way. You see, I am not fooled into thinking vaping is our biggest issue. It has become almost a gateway of sorts. I see the bigger picture is that morals have been compromised, and that is where it all begins. She had made the decision to vape and to vape at school. Two things she knew were wrong. Choices.

The second student whose vape was confiscated from the first is a tough young lady with an “I don’t care” attitude, so I knew even getting her to admit the Juul was hers was a long shot. I approached her knowing she knew that I knew and knowing that I was likely about to get stonewalled. But God arranged things differently. I started a calm conversation with her.

She admitted the Juul was hers, of course seeing nothing wrong with it. We were able to carry on a very productive dialogue. I told her I didn’t think she was a horrible person or that I was even angry with her but that I was very concerned about her choices.

Why It Matters

Approaching her this way opened doors. I know this kid. I have watched her in class; I have paid attention when she talked to her friends. I notice her during breaks; I try to do that with all my students. And I knew she was making bad choices. We talked about how the Juul was a starting point for breaking the rules and that I even knew she had been using it for a very long time. She didn’t deny it, so then I opened the door wider. I asked about drinking. I didn’t ask IF she was drinking; I already had a suspicion about that. I approached it from how often. And that’s when she told me she hadn’t had a drink in “like three months.”

Fourteen years old. Horrible choices. As educators, what do we do with that? We are faced daily with these same situations; every teacher is. Vaping is a problem; don’t misunderstand me on that, and it’s a big one. But, it goes beyond that to the choices it shows that student is willing to make. It opens the door to making worse decisions. They become desensitized to the choices and have no real understanding of the potential outcomes because they are only kids. That maturity level is not there yet.

A Teacher’s Purpose

As their teachers, we have to be willing to step away from our “subject” for a moment and focus on our real subjects. It doesn’t matter if they can work a math problem or find the main idea of a passage if their “real” lives are being controlled by bad decisions that can and potentially will lead down a path of destruction. We can’t save them all, but maybe we can save a few. The only way that can happen is to stop and listen, really LISTEN to our students through their actions, inactions, and their words.

I am not fooled into thinking I made some life-altering differences in that young lady. I know she will most likely continue to make some bad choices, but she now knows someone is paying attention and cares outside of her family. She now knows that I will not rake her over the coals but genuinely listen and guide her. She is now aware of her choices’ impact, even if she chooses not to believe they can happen to her. Never again can she say she didn’t know.

For the record, both girls received discipline from the administration for their actions. I would never assume to take on that responsibility nor avoid it for a student. Choices have consequences.

Conclusion

Teachers take on many roles in classrooms EVERY DAY. While it is Red Ribbon Week more attention will be paid to the problems of alcohol, vaping, and Juuls in today’s schools, this one week will not be enough.

This is just one teacher’s story. A story that could be told every day.