Logo
Donate
Logo
Donate

How My School Helped Me Get Straight A's, Lose Weight, and Forgive My Drug-Addict Birth Mom

Jan 28, 2016 12:00:00 AM

by Ed Post Staff

Perspectives Charter School isn’t just a school for me. It has given me the foundation to open up my heart. It turned me into a straight-A student, helped me forgive my drug addict birth mom, helped me live a healthier lifestyle and gave me a path to a brighter future. Here's how it happened. I used to attend Langston Hughes Elementary School here in Chicago. In fourth grade, I ran with a bad crowd. Even though the school building was beautiful, it had a gate we would break to go outside and buy junk food. There were crack addicts nearby. When we were actually in school, we would yell and fight. And I guess because my teachers thought that I was a bad kid, they didn’t pay attention to me. What they didn't know was that I couldn't accept learning my mother was a drug addict and was making bad choices in her life. It hurt me so much inside and I showed it by acting crazy. My aunt, who is raising me, enrolled me into Perspectives Middle Academy for sixth grade to join my older brother and older sister so we could all go to the same school. I didn’t know multiplication or division. We always used calculators at Langston Hughes, but I never really understood how to think about math. So when I came to Perspectives, I had so much to deal with. And then I had an ethics class taught by Miss Plante, called A Disciplined Life. It changed me. We learned about how to improve our self-esteem, have good relationships, and take responsibility for ourselves. But it wasn’t until we had a lesson on forgiveness and Nelson Mandela that I understood what I needed to do. Even though he was in prison for 27 years, Nelson Mandela forgave the people who put him in there. He had dinner with one of his prison guards. He had lunch with the man who wanted him to get the death penalty. He was not bitter. I didn’t want to be, either. A Disciplined Life opened me up, so I decided to talk about my birth mom. After I did, other kids came to me with their problems. We were so emotional, so real with each other. We cried. You don’t know what other people are going through. Late one night, I chose to live out the lessons I learned from Nelson Mandela about forgiveness. I went to see my birth mom at a mental health facility. It was midnight, after visiting hours, but I knew I needed to see her. At that point, I hadn’t seen her in five years. I told her, “Kim, I forgive you,” and I felt a heavy burden lifted off me.

Running With My Heart

I like how the school lets you focus on yourself, push yourself to do new things, and overcome challenges. My life has been filled with them, but I didn’t know I could get past them until Perspectives showed me how strong I really was. I was almost 200 pounds when I arrived at Perspectives, and I was encouraged to join the track team. Miss Walsh, the coach, told me something I’ll never forget: “You have to keep going. When your legs get tired, you have to start running with your heart.” I’ve lost a lot of weight since then. I have the willpower to keep going no matter how hard it gets. I now have a 4.0 GPA. At my old school, I never got homework. That all changed when I came to Perspectives. Because they knew I was so behind in math, they caught me up through a website called XtraMath. I got lots of individual attention, and my teachers always believed in me even when I didn’t. They never let me give up. I get lots of homework now but it’s like when I started track: the more I’m used to it, the more I can do. My teachers always have high expectations of me. There’s so much for me to look forward to in the future. I would like to attend college and then operate a safe house for runaway teens and own a fashion company. I’m happy for myself. I don’t think I could have said that before I enrolled in Perspectives. Three years later, I’ve watched myself grow. And I will continue growing with my heart wide open.

Click Below to Watch Kim's Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRS1HdU4Lns

Ed Post Staff

Leave a Comment

The Feed

Explainers

all explainers

  • Why Math Identity Matters

    Lane Wright

    The story you tell yourself about your own math ability tends to become true. This isn’t some Oprah aphorism about attracting what you want from the universe. Well, I guess it kind of is, but...

  • What's an IEP and How to Ensure Your Child's Needs Are Met?

    Ed Post Staff

    If you have a child with disabilities, you’re not alone: According to the latest data, over 7 million American schoolchildren — 14% of all students ages 3-21 — are classified as eligible for special...

  • Seeking Justice for Black and Brown Children? Focus on the Social Determinants of Health

    Laura Waters

    The fight for educational equity has never been just about schools. The real North Star for this work is providing opportunities for each child to thrive into adulthood. This means that our advocacy...

Support Education Equity

Your donations support the voices who challenge decision makers to provide the learning opportunities all children need to thrive. 

donate
Logo
Brightbeam Logo

Ed Post is the flagship website platform of brightbeam, a 501(c3) network of education activists and influencers demanding a better education and a brighter future for every child.

© 2020–2024 brightbeam. All rights reserved.