Love

Love comes in all forms. I love this little boy. It's such a special, different love I feel when I think of him and talk to him. I know that the bond we have goes beyond this earth, but it still puzzles me.

This is Chance. Chance was transferred into my kindergarten classroom my first year teaching in Las Vegas. My principal said he was transferring him to my class because the other teacher requested he be removed, and he felt I was flexible, loving and up for a challenge. I said GREAT!

The first time I officially met Chance, he was carried into my classroom by the principal, hitting and kicking. The principal sat down, and held Chance in a tight grip using his arms and his legs. When I finished my lesson, I went over to meet Chance and welcome him into my classroom. Chance broke a hand free, punched me in the face, kicked me in the knee, flipped me off and said F-YOU! It was love at first sight.

Chance was more than a challenge, but I could never explain the love I had for him. He couldn't communicate. He's caucasion and English speaking, but he created his only wild child language. The only words that I could really understand were the swear words he would say. :) I only had Chance from November until about March or April. His family was then evicted. Many teachers might celebrate, but I couldn't forget the special love I had for Chance. That was not the end for me.

Around that time, Mike had come into my life and loved Chance just as much as I did. We became really involved with the whole family for the next year, and helped them find housing, food, and other essentials. We even helped bring religion into their lives.

They have since moved to Oregon, and regardless of their rocky start there, they are now doing really well. It has been about five years since I've had Chance in my classroom, and he was only there for such a short time. It's rare a kid remembers who his kindergarten teacher even was, but Chance remembers everything about me and my class. What we have goes beyond this earth. It's a special kind of love. His family calls us family. As Era said it to me tonight, "Tristin, you ARE family. You and Mike are BLOOD. You are my heart." I feel the same way.

It's crazy how God places people in our lives. I know I have changed Chances life, but in so many more ways he has changed mine. I gave Chance a chance in life, and he gave me a chance to be his friend and teacher for life. Maybe that's what bonds us.

He calls me a couple of times a month to let me know how he's doing, and his speech is getting so much better. I can almost understand everything he is saying. He still struggles and his home life is much better, but still incredibly challenging. I've invited Chance to come spend the summer with me, and it looks like that might happen. I get so excited thinking about all of the things we can do together, all of the experiences I can give him that he's never had. I think of all of the things I can teach him, and more importantly, all of the things he can teach me. I've learned so much about love from this boy, and I'm thankful for life and the lessons it teaches me.