A Thank You

As I've probably mentioned here at some point previously (or some pointS, knowing me), my first job out of college was as an English teacher at a boarding school for kids with ADD and ADHD. One of the students I taught there really got under my skin. Actually, several of them did, but there was one in particular who drove me right up a wall. Not that I didn't like him - I did, but he was infuriating in his absolute refusal to follow any sort of instruction or to live up to his potential in any way. He was almost certainly among the smartest students I taught, but he would have been damned before letting on to anyone, most of the time.

The one exception, the one time he opened his mind and showed me its beauty and power, was when we read The Catcher in the Rye. He started off by saying, "I like this book. I like Holden. I can relate." And from there, he went on to offer some truly insightful commentary on the novel, and his theories on Salinger's thought process. It was probably the most amazing and triumphant moment I had as a teacher.

Much like Holden Caulfield, this boy let his alienation and angst get the best of him and ended up getting himself booted from the school. I never heard from him again and I have no idea what became of him. I hope it's something good. But for that one unit, I felt like I was getting somewhere with him, and I knew enough about his background to know he needed that. So, I like to hope that wherever he is, he has positive memories of learning, thanks to JD Salinger's brilliance. And I hope that JD Salinger has finally achieved peace from his own angst tonight.