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Location: Highlands, Scotland
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,515
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Wonder if I made a difference
So at work I've been doing a lot of Learning support work. One lad in particular has got himself into bother, he's been accused of trying to set fire to a closed Childrens Home in our town. He's awaiting a court date at the moment, the charges against him are fire-raising, breach of the peace, resisting arrest and threatening behaviour.
So lately his behaviour when he comes to us has been pretty bad, the police basically told him he's going into a secure unit. So now this is in his head, and he can't see past it. He's been refusing to work, arguing with one of the teachers, and ending up being sent home. Even the teacher he gets on well with has been having trouble getting through to him.
It all came to a head at the start of this week and he had a meeting with one of the main teachers and someone from the High School we are seconded to. There was a plan agreed about what would happen if he refused again, and he adhered to it to a certain extent.
But...there was still a problem with the teacher he doesn't get on with this morning. So I took the lad for a bit, and we did a bit of work and as usual with him he started to talk to me (he is local and we know the same people), I advised him that the reports before he is sentenced will come from a number of sources including us, so suggested that an apology to said teacher and good behaviour from here on in may help him get a report which says that although his behaviour has not been great he is trying to improve...which may help in his sentencing, if he's convicted.
Well, did I not nearly faint when he apologised to the teacher and they shook hands and agreed to start again with a clean slate.
For this laddies sake I really hope he can keep it up till the end of the term. Underneath all the bravado and the hard talk...he's petrified, so I'm hoping that between me, the other LSA and the teacher he likes we can keep him behaving. I like the lad and don't want to see him get into more bother.
I hope.