The New Tyler Man

A large part of my job as Supervisor at Morningside Middle is what some would call, "bringing down the hammer." I am the disciplinarian, the principal if you will, the one who determines a kid's fate after he or she has disobeyed a rule. You would think this would make me the most hated person in the after school program-it doesn't. For some reason they love the person in my position. The last week of our program before Christmas break I suspended 5 kids in one day. One for something he did and 4 others for getting in two seperate fights in the same classroom. They all came in the last 5 minutes of our program and by then I was done, so I just gave them all the pink slip until the New year.
One kid is named Tyler. He is a 6th grader who had found a lot of trouble recently and whose brother, an 8th grader in our program, seems to be a model student. Tyler was mad that he was in trouble, though not at himself for his bad decision, at me for punishing him for it (this is a regular mindset with our students, no remorse or personal responsibility or fear of getting in trouble, just anger at the powers that be). Anyway, he told me he wasn't coming back even when he could. The next day I received this letter from him via another student. It is his exact words and puncuation:

AJ
My Mom is come to talk to you about me. Ms. AJ you was right I should follow and my brothers feetsteps but not all the time he be doing some things. Ms AJ you are a good woman And have thought about what you said I going to change not to the old tyler but the new tyler. And I did mean what I said to I just stay home being at 21st Century (our program) is a honer for me when I come back I going to show you a new me. I going to miss you a lot but when I come back its a new tyler men.

He also drew me a picture of Tinkerbell. This letter is a milestone in the life of my kids. It is funny in so many ways, the language, the wording, but it is the most sincere thinking I have ever gotten from a student. It showed me he really thought through what happened. I was so proud. It was one of those moments that reminded me why I love my job so much. If one kid can change his mindset, can learn how to succeed in the real world then his life can be different forever and that is what we care about.