What To Do When Students Ask For Help? This should be a Will Okun post, but I'll give it a try:
There's a scene in the HBO drama "The Wire" where a former student comes back to his old elementary student to see a favorite teacher and ask for help. The student had been one of the teacher's favorites, and had done better academically than his friends despite severe disadvantages. However, he's dropped out of high school and shown up after school, asking the teacher for money to get a place and get off the street. After hesitating, the teacher says he'll help. Turns out the money was for drugs.
What do you do when students -- current or former -- ask you for help, financially or otherwise? Do you help? Do you not?
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Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 8:20 PM
What To Do When Students Ask For Help?
I actually did talk to her last summer and she was quite proud of her comments and felt glad that Obama had grabbed on to them. That was before current Obamania, so I'm not sure if she's changed her mind, but based on her attitude about it last year, I highly doubt if she would have changed her mind...
Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 8:20 PM
What To Do When Students Ask For Help?
I actually did talk to her last summer and she was quite proud of her comments and felt glad that Obama had grabbed on to them. That was before current Obamania, so I'm not sure if she's changed her mind, but based on her attitude about it last year, I highly doubt if she would have changed her mind...
Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 8:21 PM
What To Do When Students Ask For Help?
Sorry! that last comment was supposed to be for the previous post...
Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 8:37 PM
What To Do When Students Ask For Help?
When students and former students ask for help, you try to do something, within limits. How the limits are set and by whom is a constant struggle between humanity and prudence. I once signed off on a car rental for a guy who'd come back after some trying times and was finishing at Tilden at Age 20. He wanted to go in minor style to the prom with his wife, but couldn't sign the paperwork. Held my breath and it worked out. Another story, which I've shared with some top people at CPS, involved a .38 revolver, the old Robert Taylor Homes and gang recruitment, and the precursors of the African American Police League. A long long time ago.
You get lucky if you know people well. If not, like the song says, you're with the devil "down in the hole."
The day you stop facing these human problems is the day you become Arne Duncan or Paul Vallas. There, life is one big publicity stunt, and talking points, not communication with human beings, is norm.
You get lucky if you know people well. If not, like the song says, you're with the devil "down in the hole."
The day you stop facing these human problems is the day you become Arne Duncan or Paul Vallas. There, life is one big publicity stunt, and talking points, not communication with human beings, is norm.
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