“My little children, I am writing this to you that you may not sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
I John 2:1
“Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.”
Wess Stafford
Standing in the Gap
Have you ever had anyone stand up for you? Feels good doesn’t it? There is no greater comfort than knowing at least one person has your back and will stand in the gap on your behalf.
- In a world of crippling dysfunction, my sister stood up for me. My ministry with kids exists because she saved me from a complete mental disconnect.
- In the midst of severe educational judgment and stereotyping, a hippie teacher put up a windbreak that allowed me to breathe.
- Facing a painful attack from powers that be over my athlete son transferring schools, educational friends came to my side and made sure justice was served and my son was not damaged due to bureaucratic regulations.
- Most importantly, when the world attacks me spiritually, Jesus is my lawyer. Wow.
Much of my career in public education has been spent on campuses for disciplinary alternative educational placement (DAEP). I have partnered with many a principal to come in two to four times a month to work with the kids who are paying the price for bad choices. Most of the students have earned their desk in the cubby, but there are some who got railroaded. I have observed much in the last 35 years. Occasionally there are kids that simply should not be there.
When Justice Isn’t Equal
Traumatized children who are receiving no services should not be at the alternative campus because they refuse to keep their hood off their head. Trauma plus trauma does not equal cure. Have you ever pulled on a hoody on a no good, awful, terrible day? If you have not, you should. There is nothing more comforting than a warm hood shutting out the world. There are also children on these auxiliary campuses who have received their placement for cultural reasons, i.e., the sagging pants didn’t go up quick enough, words were not stated soon enough, getting in my face was not seen as an affront but a right by the educator, aggressive tones by a teacher don’t get a free pass, etc.
I have also noticed another interesting phenomenon. Many kids receiving a disciplinary placement never get to the DAEP. Occasionally, the parents of the child, claiming an injustice, pull the kid out of school with the intent of homeschooling. That is usually a failed experience and they will return. Some transfer their kids to private school and they never have to face consequences. Others move their kids to another public school and are shocked to realize that alternative placements follow you to the next district. I have seen so many examples of a “brew crew” getting in trouble. Those are kids that arrive at prom stoned or drunk, or both. Sometimes they take differing routes to deal with their 30-day punishment. A couple will homeschool, one or two may go to accelerated learning and get their diploma quickly, while others move. There are always the ones who show up. That may be because their parents do not protect them from consequences (good parenting) or because their parents don’t care. Then there are the ones who stay on campus and go on with life as usual. Their parents are connected, wealthy, powerful and their kids are elite in the school. Hmmmm.
So why do some kids get their consequences and others don’t? Advocacy.
Advocacy
Kids who stay in trouble, sit in ISS, live at DAEP, and get behind academically often have one thing in common: nobody to stand for them. That by no means they are innocent in every case, but it does mean there are often extenuating reasons for their behavior.
“Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them,
who understands the power of connection, and insists
that they become the best they can possibly be.”
Rita Pierson
Our Collective Strength
Hallelujah, that is where we come in. Like the Avengers and Justice League put together, we place our capes side-by-side to give children a protective shield. We use our skills and powers collectively to lift children out of the pit of trauma, pain, and fear in order to give them hope. Do you know what is most amazing? When we come together to be advocates for children, they find their own super-powers! Greatness.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way
in which it treats it’s children.”
Nelson Mandela
