One of my students recently faced a parole hearing for his incarceration sentence. After spending time with the student and asking him tough questions, I decided to write a letter on his behalf to the parole board. I had a lot of doubts about doing this, because I was nervous that the student may revert to his old ways once he got his freedom back. However, he wrote this essay about his experience, and it was all the confirmation I needed. One aspect of my job is motivating my students, but often, they end up motivating me. This is an example of that.
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Roughly four years ago I had a hard time making the right choices for myself, which made it incredibly easy to get caught up in the wrong things. Because of the decisions I made, I ended up getting arrested and incarcerated on several occasions. The system gave me numerous chances to change my negative behaviors, but I was too irresponsible to comply with tasks of probation or take life seriously, so they decided it would be best to put me away for an extended period of time in hopes that I would rehabilitate myself. After being arrested for the sixth time, I knew exactly what to expect the next time I had to appear before the judge. I was finally committed to The Division Of Youth Corrections (DYC) for 1-2 years and sent to Rite of Passage (ROP) on April 8, 2010 where I have spent the past year. Some call it jail, others say its a waste of time, but I believe that it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
ROP is unlike any other committed facility because it is dedicated to changing the lives of youth. It offers so much including, high school courses in which I earned credit for, athletics, vocational classes, treatment groups, and structure. Initially I had a hard time getting used to the program, but because I walked in with a positive attitude and a goal to get all I can out of this opportunity, I was able to successfully progress fairly quickly. Though I was able to progress quickly, there were many obstacles I had to over come in order to get where I am today. Motivation and focus are the key factors that kept me pushing every passing day.
The hardest part about being at ROP is having to swallow my pride and zip my lip every time I am confronted or disrespected by another peer. It pretty much happens on a daily basis, but I learned to ignore it by concentrating on what matters most to me, my freedom. Also, it gets lonely sometimes because even though the place is crowded with a diverse population of people, I feel like I have nobody to run to when emotions are in a fury, nobody who would hear me out. Those who seem as though they have an ear to confide in don’t really care;they’re just curious. I decided that it is best to just stick to myself, follow all the rules including the ones I do not exactly agree with, do what I need to do, and try to take as much as I can out of this experience in order to come back into the community as soon as possible. I have gained many new skills and a more rational perspective on life since I have been away. I finally realized that the grass is much greener on the other side, so what comes next?
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. I am going to change the channel from yesterday not to forget where I have been, but to always look forward to the future and to keep in mind the reasons I persevere. I have great potential, we all do, so with that in mind, I am going to challenge myself to reach it to the fullest. I understand that I have a lot on my plate at this point and age, but I also have a plan, a goal, and a clean slate, so I am going to keep pushing through; never being satisfied because when a man is satisfied he stops moving. It should not have taken this long or gone this far before figuring it out, but I did and now it’s very clear as to where I want to go. I am a strong supporter of the saying that everything happens for a reason, but the outcome of the inevitable is up to me to determine.
Life’s like a movie, write your own ending…..
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After his parole hearing, his sentence was reduced from a year longer to 30 more days. I’m excited about this student being able to make his life all it could be with his newfound freedom, and I am optimistic that he will continue making the right decisions.
