The Hannibal Lecter Achievement Award Goes To...
So those of you who know me personally know that I had a student who is, as my mother in her idiosyncratic and totally un-pc way would say is, wack-a-ding-hoi. There is not a teacher, counselor, advisor, administrator who has dealt with him and not said "There is something very wrong about that kid." Considering the suicides from last year, I thought if I turned in a report on the kid early, the university would get him into counseling and more importantly medication. I didn't think he would commit suicide, I thought he was more likely to punch me and well as much as I'm happy that there would be no life lost there, I didn't want to have to worry about getting hit in the face when I was teaching class.
So I've been chugging along this semester, calling his advisor, calling the head of advising, turning in reports to the head of my department, basically making sure that my ass is covered so that if this kid snaps, no one can say that I didn't do my best to get the kid help. Of course, what was I told from day one until now is "Well, uh, we can't actually do anything to help you." So today I had to meet with him in my office to tell him that he was literally on the verge of failing. So I get to sit in a confined space with a threatening student and tell him "You might fail my course."
Well, I explain to him his situation, and to make a long story short, he told me I scared him and then he teared up. I kid you not, I made the kid cry. A four foot six disabled Jewish girl made a psychopath cry.
I tell you, there is hope for equality yet.
**My life has been so miserable lately making this kid cry actually qualifies as the high point of today. Although the joke in my office is every time a student cries, a prof. gets tenured.
Bad Bunni posted at
12/07/2004 04:09:00 PM |