116. Fate

I’ve been quite low for the last few days. Things are getting on top of me, what with the constant hospital appointments, worry, daily radiotherapy, R. I also think radio is starting to make me tired because my energy levels are dipping, although I’m not sleeping well either.

So today I wasn’t happy about coming in to work. The pupil I should see first thing is avoiding me (lazy bugger) so I trotted off to my second appointment of the day. Lo and behold, he too had truanted (something I don’t know?). I was sitting having a chat with the SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) when in lolloped one of my near do wells from last year (year 10 then, year 11 now).

It just so happened that this boy is one I’ve been concerned about off and on since I’ve been off sick. I never managed to get through to him last year, despite his fairly high level of ability in English and this had dented my pride. The kids that I usually excel with are the difficult ones. And this kid had slipped through my net. This rankled. I was irritated and worried in equal measures. The sight of him this morning didn’t immediately register, although when the SENCO asked if I’d like to do some work with him, my ears pricked up. He’s been kicked out of main stream school (I’m gobsmacked that this didn’t happen years ago – given the level of his bad behaviour) and is now on a 1/3 timetable.

We worked for about 30 mins. He wasn’t over eager but just as I’d remembered, he was very able. I had to keep pushing him, but he managed, very capably some entry level GCSE work. After he’d done the work, we chatted about the exam. He doesn’t want to do it. Fear I think. He really should though. He’s very able and knows it, and knows I know it too. Getting him a C at GCSE would be fabulous. It would be really good for his ego as well. 

I just can’t quite believe really that this kid has been thrown my way now. After having him on my mind quite a lot of the time and feeling that I’d failed him, getting a chance to make up for it is wonderful. It almost feels a bit like fate (not that I believe in that sort of thing) and helped make me feel a little better than I did at the beginning of the day.           :-)