At Risk: Stories of Hope

I recently saw an HBO rerun of children who have Tourette’s Syndrome.  They shared their stories that made me cry and smile during different times of the program.

I cried at the way some children couldn’t understand the nature of Tourette’s, and I was in artistic ecstasy when I heard the way the young student played piano.

We have much to learn about our limited knowledge of how the mind works.  Specials like this inspire me to encourage my own children to make any attempt to show acceptance for these extraordinary children.

Each child in the HBO special was a natural born teacher.  They schooled this fifty year old veteran middle school teacher that I have much more to learn.

They led me to think why can’t we create a nation of teachers who can serve small classes so that every American child can get the personal attention that he or she deserves.  It could be rooted in the idea that we exist to improve the quality of life for every American.  Then we can export goodness by example.

What if wars were solved with arts competitions?  What if we became the nation that solved social problems world wide?  What would happen if American students started perceiving drug abuse as boring because they have found a more fulfilling activity like public service?  We can do it because we are Americans!

My first choice for a super teacher would be any one of the extraordinary children on that HBO special.  Take your time growing up little stars.  You have a big responsibility for your country, but your debut was tearjerking.  So you young ones made an old seasoned Detroit teacher cry, with hope.