The World Needs More Kind Hearts

I am an elementary school teacher and our year is coming to a close. I've watched so many students and teachers over the past few weeks reach a point I've never seen in some of them before; not one with which I am unfamiliar, but rather quite the opposite. I have been in their shoes. I know how it feels. Everyone is beyond exhausted, everyone is over-tested, and quite frankly everyone is just about sick of each other. I have watched students lash out at their teachers, I have watched teachers lash out at their children. But that's exactly what they are- children. This week, I watched a young child very seriously threaten suicide. I witnessed more than a handful of tearful meltdowns in the hallways. I have watched kids try to physically escape the school. Now mind you, I am a special education teacher, and this is something I am used to experiencing. But these were not my kids. These were the "smart" kids, the "popular" kids, the "teacher kids". Our children are breaking. Some have already broken. And there is nothing that they can do about it. But we- the adults- can. To the young child who grabbed scissors and held them to their throat- I watched you. I watched you for hours try to control your emotions. I watched you so desperately search for an adult, any adult, who would take time out of their busy day to just sit with you and let you be. Who would help you work through the things that you were feeling, that were so much bigger than you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you.