How to Open the Door to a Troubled Child
The keys are compassion, empathy, and Love.
I am a teacher of incarcerated kids. It’s a tough job which requires patience and perseverance. They arrive at juvenile with many issues from sexual abuse to drugs. Many of them spend a significant amount of time on the streets trying to survive. However, with all of this baggage, I still must teach them. I must try to teach them the best way I can.
There seems to be no way in with some of my students. The doors to what pain lies behind their eyes are often closed, but I’ve discovered the keys to opening these doors is compassion, empathy, and love. I must sincerely show I care before I can move forward.
The compassion equation.
sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it- Websters
I offer compassion by asking how can I help them make better choices when they are released. I remind them how valuable an education is to their success. Their lives are important to me, and I must exemplify that through my actions.
My kids can detect false compassion. Why? Because each one of them has a story to tell, and in the past, no one listened. I pay attention with a keen ear and don’t speak until they are done. The educational and…
