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2008-03-22 - 12:32 p.m.

My job is working with juvenile felons. They're all male and they range from the ages of 13 to 19. Some of them stay until they complete what we call their program. The others age out. Others get bounded over because whatever they did was great enough, in the courts opinion, to get tried as an adult.
I have a student that we're keeping only until he's old enough to move into the general population of the nearest jail. He's got ten years coming to him because of his charges. That means that, if he doesn't get his good time and doesn't get paroled early, he'll be in jail until he's 24.
He'll completely miss all of high school in a regular high school. In a co-ed high school.
Cell phones, cars, dvds, so many technical things will have changed by the time he's gotten out. I don't even know if he's ever used one of those self-scanners at the grocery stores.
And there are other students there who are there because they sold drugs. Some of them sold drugs just for the money. Some of them sold drugs because they were too young for a legal drug and their brother needed to eat. Some of them will get out and start earning legal money, but the temptation will be there to make the illegal money just because it is so easy. Tell a 16 year old boy who, just a year ago, was making ten thousand a month to barely make a thousand a month and all you can do is hope that he's strong enough, internally, to keep at it.
There are students who won't change. But there are students there that just because someone takes the time to say you're doing good and you can continue to do good.... just will go out and do good.
I've personally got a student who was locked up for almost three years. When I first started he was a violent kid. He hated me. He hated a lot of people. But we took the time with him. Whenever he drew something I asked to look at it and I commented.
He got out about a year ago. He's stayed in touch with us. He's got a good job in construction, he's engaged with a child on the way.
We can make a difference, and it starts by believing that you can make a difference.

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