Letting Go

What does it mean to be a parent? When does a parent know that they are losing the battle and hope that victory will come later? A friend of mine lost her beloved son in the most horrific way: he chose to end his own life.
Handsome and intelligent, yet he tortured by demons that had the ability to drown out voices of encouragement and love. What parent doesn't encourage a child who is struggling to feel worthy? Do these words sound hollow when the vessel is so totally empty?
Does letting go and allowing the child to stuggle and even fail eventually bring success for the child? And how does a parent resist involvement and stepping in to intervene?
How do you save your child?

I really want to know.

The rain is comforting...

The news about so many things seems pretty blek and depressing. Almost to the point that I don't want to watch the news or look at a newspaper. (Actually, I don't read a newspaper anymore, since I look at it online. Never thought I'd say that!) But even though the week has been gloomy because of the news, I find the rain this week to suggest a cleansing and maybe a promise of better days to come.
One can hope.

TAK(S)KILLS

This week is the first administration of the dreaded TAKS test for English/LA. We've been prepping (tormenting) kid, crunching data, and reporting findings to administration for months. It's not easy and it's not rewarding. Not in the least. Not that the skills we are testing are not worthwhile; they are, but our current obession with scores ignores why we teach in the first place.
I know we'll do well. But it's not something the kids even care about. They want teachers who will teach them out of joy and passion. We need to reconsider what we are doing.