Immigration, Inclusion, and Shoes.

A powerful story from our school today that I had to share (changed names below to preserve privacy).

This morning, four of the amazing young men in our school ran to me and eagerly asked "Where is Sam's advisory?" Sam is one of our students with special needs, he is on the Autism spectrum and has lagging social skills. He is also cared for by a very elderly grandfather who struggles to meet his needs. Our students intuitively know Sam is a bit different but they accept and support him well - often defending him when others laugh, inviting him to sit next to them at lunch, and supporting him when he struggles in class or shares out a bit eccentrically.

They were carrying a Nike brand bag with a box of shoes in it and couldn't wait to reach their destination. I let them know that he was in Mr. Murphy's room and they sped off. They noticed that Sam was in need of a new pair of school shoes and wasn't able to buy new ones on his own. They did the only thing that made sense when there is a friend in need. They pooled their money together to purchase their friend a brand new pair of Nike Air Force Ones (all black, to meet dress code). Needless to say, Sam was beaming all day. Later on, he ran to me in the hallway and loudly proclaimed, "KHAN, there is a cupcake in the office for you." "Thanks, Sam" "Did you see my new shoes, I'm trying not to get any creases in them" "Gotta keep em clean, Sam!"

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The four young men, all of color, immigrants, several undocumented, represent the story of immigrants in America that isn't shared enough. They represent American values. It didn't matter to them that Sam was white, Sam had a need and they found a way to serve. I wish our president would share this story in a tweet and tell the truth about the positive impact that our families make on the lives of others. So proud to work with our kids and honored to do this work.