The Students*

I forgot to introduce my students

A (M)-in many ways my favorite student, just because I have a connection with him that most teachers do not have, and I am proud of it. When I came to the school everyone told me that he was a Latin King, and everyone told me that he was a fuck up. He is somewhat weird, intimidating, but very popular among the Hispanic students. Not necessarily because he was mean, but because he did not do anything, and he would get in trouble. But for some odd reason we instantly hit it off.l Part of it was that I was carrying him, and I know that he used coming to see me in the office as a way out of getting caught for being tardy or for not doing his homework done.
But he was a good kid, no matter what else, that is what I saw in him. Medium height, thin with long hair slicked back to his neck in perfect shiny rows after god knows what glue or whatever was put into it. He told me stories about Mexico, about how much he loved Guadalajara and how much he wanted to move back there after he graduated from high school. He loved going there with his dad, and was very proud of both his parents. the last time they went there they got into trouble however, because someone tried to rape his sister so he and his dad fought him and ended up almost killing him.
Throughout the year he almost gave up. didn't turn in major projects, lashed out. I have given up on students before. I am not proud of that, but I have. I just look at them and they look back at me, and there is nothing left. They haven't hit bottom yet so they do not want to change, but they are suffering enough not to care. But when i looked into his eyes I always saw something that told me that he wanted it, no matter how he felt or acted.
I think this student was close to that point, but he did have good parents. And then as the school year went on, he had me.