Jackson's Story
Story written by Mission WV Bridge Program Mentor
Names of students changed to protect their identity.
When I first picked up Jackson on my caseload for the Bridge Program, I was very unsure of how he was going to handle being in the program. I received his referral with comments like ‘he’s got a chip on his shoulder’ attitude. He was a junior and had 10 credits but was currently failing 3 classes. I remember the day he walked in, I was already afraid because I had just started and was very nervous about meeting new students. Jackson was rigid and hard to read right from the get-go. When I explained the program to him, he blankly stared at me. When I asked him if this program sounded like something he would be interested in he shrugged his shoulders. Mrs. Porter, his school counselor walked in and said, in short term, “Jackson, you need to do this program.” He shrugged again and reluctantly said sure.
I added him to the program and started meeting with him weekly. Every meeting always the same. “Hey Jackson, nice to see you again. How are you doing?” “Fine.” “Well let’s take a look at your grades.” Little to no response. He was literally giving me nothing. After weeks of meetings like this, he finally said something other than a single word answer to my questions. He said, “I want to bring my girlfriend to prom.” I said, “Ok, let’s make that happen.” He smiled.
After he left, I immediately went to the Assistant Principal. I asked about Jackson’s behavior, grades and overall attitude and was not met with positive answers. I asked him if it was in the realm of possibility for Jackson to bring his girlfriend to prom. He smiled and said “Sure, if he can stay out of trouble and bring his grades up.” Okay I now had something to work with. I presented Jackson with this news the following week and he lit up even more. Single word answers became small sentences, and he began to put forth an effort and slowly began to change his attitude. He began to approach me when he needed help with an assignment instead of me calling him down to meet with me. I was receiving messages on Schoology from him when he turned in an assignment and had received a good grade.
Prom was approaching quickly, and I decided to return to the Assistant Principal. I presented him with Jackson’s grades, which were all A’s and B’s now, and he said, “I have not seen Jackson in my office since the last time we spoke. Tell him to fill out the form and his girlfriend will be joining us at prom!” I called Jackson down as soon as I found this out. He was so pleased and smiled even bigger than before. The next week when I called him down, it was like something had shifted in our relationship. He walked in and I was met with an explosion of expression and words. He went on and on about how some kids were picking on him at the bus stop in the mornings and throwing stuff at him in the cafeteria at lunch. He said, “As soon as prom is over, I’m going to hit those boys.” We spent a good while talking about how that was probably not the appropriate response, and he should continue his streak of good behavior even after prom was over. He agreed, reluctantly.
Later that week, he took it upon himself to go speak to the Assistant Principal about the behavior of these boys. Jackson attended prom with his girlfriend and continued to impress me with his attitude and tenacity to excel in school. As of now, he has recovered 3 credits, earned 3 and is enrolled in summer credit recovery. We have a plan in place so that Jackson will graduate with his peers.
His story is far from over, but from what I’ve seen from him, he will graduate and move on to bigger, better things!
