Who is to say what a troubled kid really is? A kid who can't sit still in a classroom chair all day? A kid who tries but can't learn at the same pace as the other students? What really makes a troubled kid? Sometimes, it's the adults around them. At least that was the case at Morton Magnet Middle School. Camey Havenridge was getting kicked out of class every day, sometimes more than once a day. She had become one of those students teachers often label "bad kids." The thing is, teachers chose to punish her instead of just talking to her. That's what Mr. Martinez did. Martinez isn't a teacher or guidance counselor, he's the security guard who roams the hallways.
“I used to get kicked out of class like every day and sometimes more than once a day. He would always help me in the hallway, and we would talk about what I was doing that I could change to do better in class,” Camey said.
It was no shock that she was a finalist in the Red Cross Heroes Essay Contest. The only person who was shocked was Mr. Martinez himself, who had no idea she had written about him. With Martinez's help, Camey was able to turn things around and become a role model to others. So what makes a troubled kid or a good kid? The difference is the adults who ignore them and the ones who stop in the hallway to listen.
Please SHARE Camey's story to give Mr. Martinez and every adult who mentors a kid the recognition they deserve!
