not in the job description

junior high is tough. bodies are changing, hormones are raging. peer groups are solidifying.

today, one of my kids smelled so badly...it was shocking. but here's the rub...he has water, and toiletries, and deodorant. his twin sister is also in my class. she's always clean. but jake (not his real name) is literally too lazy to take a bath. his sister lisa (not her real name) has also told me that he is too lazy to go to the bathroom at home ~ no kidding, jake will urinate in the corner of his room, in a pop bottle, whatever, to keep from walking down the hall to relieve himself. lisa is pretty sure that the urine gets on his clothes, which are lying on the floor. the clothes, by the way, rarely get washed because he is too lazy to take care of that. and don't ask me why mom isn't all over this. i can't answer that question.

tuesday, jake's body odor was horrible. i had to open my classroom windows at the end of the day and spray febreze air neutralizer to combat the smell.

yesterday, jake and lisa were absent.

today, jake shows up in the same clothes he wore on tuesday...only now they are twice as pungent as they were two days ago. first thing this morning, he asked to speak to me about some trouble he was in, and i literally had to back away from him.

i spoke with my principal...and long story short, one of my male co-workers rounded up some clothes from the home ec. room, and explained to jake that he had to take a shower (we have facilities). i took his clothes and ran them through the school washing machine twice, before drying them with two downy sheets.

the hardest part of the day was talking with him about staying clean. i grabbed a male co-worker from across the hall and asked him to listen as i talked to jake about the effects of not being clean...people don't like to sit close to others who smell (i put it nicely), people who don't take care of themselves open themselves up to ridicule, people who have body odor have difficulty making and keeping friends, etc.

i put my arm around him and told him that i loved him, and that's why i knew i should be honest with him....that i wanted him to be the best he could be...that i would never want people to miss out on getting to know the real jake...that good habits will benefit him for the rest of his life. it was such a "girlie" talk, now that i look back on it. my co-worker jon simply said, "it (not bathing) is just not healthy". that's true. duh! i hadn't even thought of that!

so now i'm wondering if jake will stay clean. i'm wondering if his mother is going to come in and rip my hind end for trying to help her son.

teaching is not about teaching anymore. it's about taking care of kids who need it. it's about feeding them and clothing them...counseling them through emotional problems and fits of criminal behavior...listening to their struggles...and proving to them that there is at least one person in this world who cares about what happens to them.

it's exhausting. it's worth it. but man, i'm so tired...