Watch The Bad Kids Documentary on Netflix

"The number one reason a student drops out is not having a relationship with a caring adult."

A parent of one of my students recommended the documentary "The Bad Kids".  It paints a really good picture of what our alternative school is like, except these students have a little more socio-economic struggle. The only thing I wish producers had done, was not named the documentary "The Bad Kids." What it really is about, is students who have a lot of aimless talent, who have been trying to overcome life challenges. Many of them hate school and have gotten behind on credits.  It also highlights the emotional toll working and caring for these teens can take on staff members.

All educators and parents of challenging students will appreciate this documentary.  The documentary highlights three or four students in particular and follows them through their time at school.  Most students who attend Black Rock eventually graduate due to the caring staff at Black Rock Continuation High School, as well as their own change of heart and mindset.  There are always a couple of students, who are in the minority, who don't make it, because they can't seem to overcome the mental hurdle it takes to focus on graduation instead of what is going on at home.

This film highlights the students' dire situations without displaying the shocking details. Much of it is in conversation on school grounds and interviews. Some scenes are filmed at the students, houses or at after school gatherings.  This is a great American human interest story.

Here is a link to the movie page and trailer: The Bad Kids  If you have an hour and forty one minutes to spare, please take the time to watch this.  It's inspirational. It highlights successes and failures, and the reality of being a human teenager.

Thoughts on Flying

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors, who— in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times — looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space at full speed,  above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.     - Wilbur Wright (1867-1912

I don't fly often, but when I do, I am always really, really amazed at the technology and people that have helped us arrive at where we are today. To think that we can fly around the world in a vehicle that won't fall from the sky and follows a path without lines, roads, and visibility, is almost beyond my comprehension. The intelligence that God gave many men and women is not the same intelligence that he gave me!

In flying, there is a different level of trust we have to put in the the pilots, plane, and mechanics who check the planes after every flight (hopefully!).  To think about falling out of the sky is terrifying, but researchers tell me it is safer than driving a car on the road! 

My favorite part of flying is take-off because it is just fun to lean back with the plane, look out the window, and see the patterns of the roads, neighborhoods and clouds in the sky. It's just amazing to me.

Does this really have much to do with school counseling? Not much, but as with anything, I could make an analogy pretty easily. My job is to help students "learn to fly", by encouraging them to take risks, dream, and set goals that seem pretty impossible. Would anyone living in the early 1800's ever think that a person could ride a vehicle in the sky (first flight 1903 in the United States) let alone ride in one on a road (first car in 1879 in the United States)? I wonder how many dreamed of those possibilities before they ever came into fruition? We all have dreams that we sometimes don't act on and before we know it, someone else has taken that opportunity. Being in high school is the perfect place to begin dreaming big and finding a way to make things happen.