So, I've been having a really hard time since H left the JJC (Juvenile Justice Center). I'm not used to not knowing ANYTHING about what is going on with a student once they have graduated from the program. The kids in the JJC are there because they committed crimes, crimes of which they probably wouldn't have committed had they had good homes. Some, maybe do have a decent home, but H does not, and now she's been sent back to that so called home. She has my phone number but I don't know if she'll use it or be allowed to. So many times I've wanted to ask some of the employees at the JJC "How do you deal with these kids being sent back to their parents, probably the worst place for them to be, and then never seeing them again or know how they are doing", but I can't bring myself to ask. I'm afraid if I do, and then find a way to deal with it, eventually I'd just get used to it and every time a kid goes home it would just be another kid going home. I don't want that. I want to care, I want to worry and I want to cry for them. This isn't just a job, it's so much more than that, it means so much more to me. These kids are so special, and the dogs.....are truly amazing. They don't even know how much they are helping, more then any human could possibly do.
Today I saw a girl go from completely frustrated in the beginning of class to ecstatic because she could not believe how her patience and consistency paid off in just one hour! The dog had just learned to sit, that's all, just to sit when she told him (Emmett) to. That one hour with Emmett today, will help her get through until Tuesday and she'll walk out into the yard having confidence in herself, possibly something she has never had.
Off to bed now! I just had to get all this out so I can try to get some sleep now!
Thanks for reading,
Lisa
No comments:
Post a Comment