I am a teacher of 7th graders in a public school. If you know any 12 or 13 year olds, you know they are sometimes a difficult group to deal with. They are loud, restless, and many think they know far more than us adults.

However, I wouldn't trade my job for anything, and there is no group of kids I'd rather teach. Every day I come home with stories to tell. Not every day is a day in paradise, but as far as jobs go, I believe my side of the fence is definitely greener.

I teach in what I would consider a suburban/urban school. Many of these kids have poor home lives and tend to take their frustrations out on us teachers. However, being one to see the positive in things, here are some reasons for hope:

* a student was the first in the arrive and placed a wallet with $10 in it on a desk. When she left that area, she forgot her wallet and it was on someone else's desk. I noticed this as the student that found the wallet did. He did not know I was watching. He immediately saw the name, went looking for the person, found her, and returned the wallet. Oh, and the girl said "thank you"!!

* an unpopular female student is on crutches and needs someone to assist by carrying her books. The counselor asked for volunteers, and several hands go up, especially by boys. And no offense to this girl, but the boys were not volunterring because she is the prom queen type.

* during cafeteria duty, I watch as a student stumbles, and a taco, rice and drink scatter on the floor. I also watch as, wihout asking, three students immediately assist by getting napkins and a mop, helping the student clean the mess.

* In my class we are doing a difficult lesson (does Spanish verb conjugations bring back any nightmares?) Some get it some don't. As I am assisting students, I look to see how others are doing. I see several instances of the students that are "gettting it" helping those that didn't. This was never suggested by me.

I can think of plenty of other examples. These are very basic, but for those that "don't know what this world is coming to", here's a glimmer of hope that all is not lost after all. It's nice to see kids making positive, adult decisions sometimes.

This reminds me that, even when things are going wrong, there is always some right in there somewhere. I thank God for that and pray that he always helps me to see that.