Wildflowers

As a senior high school teacher, I fell in love with my students every single year. My stories will make you laugh, cry, and cringe at the reality of the lives of our "wildflowers." Kids are kids; however, these kids needed me more than your average child of privilege.

Most parents love their children; however, a mother at the age of fourteen, I believe, cannot offer what a mother at the age of thirty can offer. For many, violence and poverty were their facts of life. Many came to school for food, hugs, love, and support. My priceless experiences in the "slammer" proved to be the most rewarding of all. Each day, I thought of how the situations in which these kids found themselves, was more often than not, the result of faulty parenting. Growing up was not about T-ball, picnics, vacations, and college. Growing up for some wildflowers was all about survival. My career involved love, baby showers, funerals, talent shows, proms, and courtroom appearances.

I believe everyone is given a gift. My gift was the uncanny ability to communicate with at-risk teenagers. I spoke their language. I understood that there were reasons, not excuses, for their problems. These wildflowers were born into this world just as sweet and innocent as every other child. Their surroundings dictated and directed their futures. For years, I went to bed worrying about them and I awoke wondering what would happen each and every day to my wildflowers. They loved me because I loved them.

If reading my book helps just one teacher to help make a difference in just one wildflower's life, my promise to my father to write this book will have made it all worthwhile.