A brief note

I just found out that one of my students--one of the 8th graders that gave me the biggest headache yesterday because of his non-stop chattering (MISS FRANKLIN I CAN'T READ I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COME HERE) but seemed genuinely a good person--was in the Children's Army. He's apparently a trained fighter and has killed people before in his country, and he literally cannot read or write. He saw his family killed before him, and was handed a machine gun and told to fight for the rebel cause, like so many children of that country. He's apparently living in a home with no stability right now, and hardly gets meals let alone attention. If I need to find him, ever, I've been told to check the lunch room.

He's good natured, but talks SO MUCH, demanding your utmost attention. I thought he was "The Distracter;" the kid who distracts the teacher so the others can get off task, so I stood by him and read my book during the silent reading time, and continually tried to keep him on-task by telling him that until he could show me he was trying to read by sitting there for four minutes in silence (and staring at the book), I would then come and help him. It was really cute how he tried to show me he was trying. He would sit there and say, "Ms. Franklin. Look. Look at me. I'm trying. I'm trying can you please come help meeeeee." He wanted to borrow a book but I wouldn't let him, not knowing if whether I was going to see him in any of my other classes. When I saw him in the hall yesterday afternoon, I called to him, "Sky, if you want to borrow a book come and see me tomorrow!" He replied, "Thank you Miss Franklin!!!!" and ran out the door to his bus. I found out today that he's in my last hour.

I "felt" he was a nice person, he was just so damned annoying!

I just want to hug him.