“A” was a student in my very first class eleven years ago. Since that first year, he has always made a point to stop by my classroom once or twice a year to say “hi” or to check in and let me know what he is up to. He is one of my favorite students of all time because of how kind he is. This school year, his sister “J” is in my class. That has been fun. J is just as sweet and hardworking as her brother.
Last week I attended a parent/teacher conference for J. When her mom arrived, we noticed that she was pregnant. As we talked about her due date and her other five children, I strained a bit to understand her speak Spanish. My eyes widened when I understood her to say, “I’m going to be a grandma too.” For a few seconds, I was confused until I realized what she was saying. “A is having a baby?” I asked. She nodded.
So this is my first student baby! The only thing that’s keeping me from checking right into the old age home at this point is the fact that he’s ONLY 18 and just graduated from high school last year. So really, he’s TOO young to be having a baby – just as I am too young for him to have a baby!
Anyhow, the baby is due in November, and “we” are having a boy!
Congratulations!!! Can I call you Grandma K?
ReplyDeletem.
I was about to write 'how sad', except it isn't. It really isn't. What it depends on is the reaction of his and her family in the first and then their wider immediate community.
ReplyDeleteFor heavens sake, which is the more tragic, the woman that decides her clock has begun to wind down. Then decided to latch onto the nearest plausible male breeder and proceeds to shell three or four from the pod. Or as we've got here, a pair of kids that will like his mother breed over twenty years.
This is life nowadays. Babies having babies. I was grateful that I was able to get my girls to adult hood without babies, when so many of my friends were grandmothers, way before me. One dear friend is about to be a great grandmother. Many times it works out fine.
ReplyDeleteMy MIL was a teacher and she's got a student like this. I think it's wonderful that you've touched student so wonderfully! IT's so great you can provide support.
ReplyDeleteMy first year of teaching was in a middle school. I had an 8th grader in my English class and 9 years later I had his son in kindergarten!And I was only 35 then! Yikes...and congrats...I guess!
ReplyDelete@Mark - Um, NO!
ReplyDelete@Vince & Bankerchick - Oh for sure. Hey, the last thing I wanted when I was 18 was a baby (or even now for that matter), so I can't really fathom not doing EVERYTHING possible to make that not happen. However, if that's what they want, it is what it is. Every single child in that family is a good person, so they are doing something right. If they are willing to take care of that baby, good for them and I wish them the best!
@Blonde Duck - What can you do? He's a good kid. That's all that matters.
ReplyDelete@M - That's the benefit of teaching the young ones. It'll be a while (well at least 5 years anyways) until I see a child of student at school. I have had children of friends of mine from high school. That's kind of weird too.
I was really so disappointed to hear this.
ReplyDeleteClearly you didn't teach the contraception unit very clearly. What's wrong with you?
But then again, my own daughter knew full well how to prevent teenage pregnancy and she went ahead got pregnant anyway. Intentionally. And we saw how well that all turned out.
They sound like a sweet family. What's up granny?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you will be teaching your first student baby one day????
ReplyDelete