There is a boy. He is five years old. To say he is a heathen, is an understatement. Monster...that's more like it. He is bigger than any kid his age and half the ones older than him. He strikes fear into the hearts of his fellow students, his teachers, his family. He hits, punches, tackles, pushes, throws, and bullies. He has no respect for anyone or anything. At five he has built up walls around his heart thicker than even mine. He is a manipulator and if you ask he'll tell you he likes being a bully and doesn't need friends. He has seen things and knows things that no child or adult should have to experience. He lives in a world of alcohol induced hate, gang related violence, and fearful neglect. He is physically provided for, but has been abandoned emotionally.
This boy, this monster, is in my class. He is my favorite child ever. He drives me crazy. He makes me want to scream. He continually makes me cry, provides me with bruises andheadaches, and sometimes makes me question my career choice. He has broken my heart. I love him like my mother loves me. My heart yearns to take him home, show him love like God shows me. I just want to hold himand tell him it's okay. If you truly ask, he'll tell you that he wants more friends, that he wants to grow up and do great things. He wants to be a cop when he grows up so that he "can protect other kid's cousins from gangs." Buried deep in his heart is a well of emotion and love that I very rarely get to see, but I know it's there. I know that if there can be just one person to love him unconditionally, someone who will not give up on him, he WILL do great things. He has gotten under my skin. He is embedded in my heart. He is the monster in me, my thoughts, my prayers, and my hopes.
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