STORY THAT TOUCHED MY HEART

A child I will NEVER forget....

I had a student last year who at the age of four saw her mother deported back to Mexico.  That little girl cried everyday, not because she didn't want to come to school like so many other preschoolers those first few weeks in September, but because she never wanted to go home.  Her father was working two jobs and only saw her two hours a day.  Mommy was gone and as an only child, she bounced from babysitter to babysitter all the time and had no stability or security other than our classroom.  In addition, she had a hearing problem and a speech delay so it was very difficult for her to express herself.   She hugged my constantly and wouldn't interact with hardly anyone else.  I worked day in and day out to make her feel as loved and nurtured as possible.  My school was able to get her Dad support services to help with aftercare, therapy, financial assistance, etc., and by mid year she really started to make amazing progress in speech and socialization.  One thing she always did was draw to express herself.  I had her pictures hung up everywhere and we also mailed many to mom in Mexico.  Then one day she drew a picture of herself next to an airplane.  I asked her about it and she said "They took my mommy on a plane and now I'm going to go on a plane".  Sure enough, this was right before Spring Break and little did I know that after that break, I would never see her again.  After our break she never returned and Dad disconnected his phone.  I wrote letters to Mexico, but never got a response either.  I tried to find out what happened but to this day I have no idea.  They had no other relatives and the other emergency numbers on file led nowhere.  I will never, ever forget her.  I hope that that last picture she drew of herself getting on an airplane was her way of telling me she was leaving to be with her mommy.  I wish I would've been able to give her one last hug good-bye, but at least I know that I helped her everyday that she was in my class and put a beautiful smile on her face when she needed it most.  I hope someday to see or hear from her again.