My Favorite Student

I think one of the most disturbing event of my life happened last week. Last week I found out that one of my absolute favorite students is pregnant! Now, I have a couple of pregnant students in my classes, but I never could have imagined that I would place Dara in this group. Dara is one of my favorite students. She is just so intelligent that I want to pick apart her brain sometimes. I love to see how she thinks about certain problems. Once Dara and I made it over our initial hump, she has been excelling since. She achieves high grades in class, does her homework, and participates in class. She is a natural leader and is not afraid to tell people what she thinks. With all of those things going for her she still managed to get bit by the pregnancy bug.

Please do not misunderstand me, I don't think that teenage pregnancy is the end all of total existence. I just want so many great things for Dara, and I do not want anything to hold her back. I didn't even notice the small bump protruding from her stomach until a student made a comment to her and pointed it out. From that moment on, I caught myself staring at her just to see if it was true. In teaching you learn that students say things to other students all the time, and for the most part, they are just joking around with each other. I thought that I saw something, but I dismissed it as the way her shirt fit her. I could have come right out and asked her, but I didn't for two reasons: First, I want to offend her, and second, I did not want to believe it if it was true. The truth has a way of coming out. I found out what I already knew about Dara in the lunchroom. Dara was wearing her usually cute outfit to school. The shirt fit very snugly around her stomach and a bump was sticking out. I saw the cafeteria lady look and her stomach, then ask Dara, "What do you have in there?" Dara smiled a replied, "A fetus." I was happy and sad within the same moment. I was happy that she was learning something in Biology-fetus, and I was sad that she was actually carrying one.

Later when I saw Dara that day I asked her about it, and she confirmed that she was pregnant. It bothered me for days. When I think about her situation, two things come into my mind. First, Dara is a bright child, so I know that she has the potential to do great things for herself. I also know that she is a caring person so she will take care of her child. At the same time I just hope that she does not let her situation hold her back from doing the great things she is destined to do.