No wonder he's so angry

Dear Journal,

It's Monday and I can't help but think about my Do Now for ELA today. I only try to forget but never will. I grow scared of the images in my head of my mother getting beat by my sister's father.

from J.

Whenever I can, I give my scholars a chance to journal about WHATEVER they want. I ask them to put an S with a slash through it at the top of their entry if they don't want me to read it. Whenever I see a slashed S at the top of the page, I swear to you, I don't read it. Never. I honor and respect my students, and in turn, they honor and respect me. This particular entry, however, didn't have a slashed S. Actually, none of J's entries do. I think that means he trusts me. I hope so.

I love J. He's a jerk in a lot of other classes, but I miraculously got him on my side my first year as his teacher when he was still in 6th grade. He's one of my 7th graders now, and we still have that bond, thankfully. For some reason, his writing always inspires me. He's so bright for his age. He has so much to offer, but so many roadblocks in the way of his success... especially at home.

What do I do? What can I do for J? I can't love them all the way I want to, but I really want to try.