Hero

It has been no secret that this school year has been difficult for Scott, and by default for our entire family. On his first day back after summer vacation he learned that his program, which he has poured his heart and soul into for the past 15 years, was eliminated. Instead of working with the special education population to obtain real-life job skills, Scott was reassigned to co-teach Algebra. The transition has not been smooth.

Scott struggled with hurt feelings and resentment over the loss of his program. He also dearly missed the core group of students whom he met with every day during "Eagle Block," which was akin to a mandatory study hall. He had cultivated relationships with this particular class and was looking forward to overseeing their Senior year. Along with the demise of his program, his Eagle Block was dissolved and the students were assigned to other classes. 

Even though he was not technically their teacher anymore, most of his original Eagle Block kids kept the routine of visiting Scott during the day.  He was able to obtain passes from their new Eagle Block teachers so that they could maintain the tight working relationship with their original mentor. Keeping contact with this core group of students was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult year.  

Yesterday "his kids" graduated. While graduations are always special, yesterday's was bittersweet. Scott was beaming with pride as he left the house to watch his students walk across the stage. This group of students are special and I know that they will always hold a fond place in his heart.

Before the graduation an essay was read at a school faculty meeting. One of the Eagle Block students wrote an essay about their hero. She chose Scott. A year that began with heartbreak ended with tears of joy.