Hugs not drugs

Not gonna lie- yesterday straight up bummed me out. It was a day when I saw two people do dumb stuff.

Starting at work, one of my kiddos told me that another of my sweet children was very high during school earlier in the week, and suddenly, there was a great hullabaloo over The sober kid driving the high kid home. I get it- sober kid wanted to help her friend, but the word got out and there was hell to pay. Who sold the drugs? Why did the high kid do it at school? Why didn't the sober kid say something? 

I honestly would have probably done the same thing when I was in school. I would have helped the high kid out. Either way, the high child is suspended for a bit and the dealer(s) are most certainly headed for alternative school or jail. It just bummed me out. 

But what do you do? You rally and teach some more when the next bell rings. It's not unlike boxing. Ding! Round five. Go in fighting. 

It was Thursday, so I was pretty darn ready for my weekday Netflix date. Cas and I decided on flautas and quesadillas, and I went to pick them up. The boy at the register was also one of mine, but a throwback. He had been my student at the last school where I worked, and at the time, he had been a pretty bright, clever kid. I subsequently taught his sister, who told me that her big brother had gotten into drugs. Great. That was a while back, but last night as this man, now in his mid twenties rang in my order and made change, I could see that the spark was gone. He was clearly and severely addled. He had managed to diminish his own cognitive abilities with drugs. Shit. 

I smiled and waved as I left. He said, "You take care, Miss Hinds!"

I will, I guess, but I was pretty rattled. 

My current student was allegedly using bars, a drug I had to Google. Evidently, it's Xanax-based and can cause seizures. Oh, it can also kill you. The man-child at the register was a known cheese user. That one I knew. It's Tylenol PM and black tar heroin, crushed up and snorted. Usually with a straw. Because so many Latino children used it when it first hit the scene, it was often referred to as queso. 

When my former student asked if I wanted guacamole or queso with my order, I only winced for a moment. 

Both, I guess. Can I have both?