A breakthough!!!!! →[More:] So, I've mentioned the school Mrs. Doohickie has been teaching 10th grade world history at. It's an inner city school and several (okay, maybe even most) of her students are bad attitude kids that the system has given up on.

She's been beating her head against the wall trying to educate them, taking the attitude that even if the system has given up on them, even if they've given up on themselves, she refuses to give up.

She failed a prominent member of the football team (no pass-no play in Texas). The football player tried to get her to change the grade; the coach even inquired about it, but she kept to her guns.

So... said student is eligible again (they can requalify halfway through the marking period if they are passing). In fact, he has a 98!!!

So today, he came up to her and thanked her for failing him, and for not backing down and changing his grade. He said he's gone his whole life skatin' through and getting others to back down (or having Coach do it for him), and now he knows he can *really* do the work.

He also broke up a fight in the hall (just before it started). And he told my wife that if anyone ever gives her a hard time, he'll cover her back.

This is so melodramatic, I'm almost misty-eyed typing it.