The Notebook

A few weeks ago, I found a notebook in my room. The front cover read Jason Manning's Journal--Do not read unless your name is Jason... So I read it. It only took a few pages to understand the overall content of the journal. It had entries that dated a few months earlier, since the beginning of school. It categorized the opposite sex in two ways "nice" or "irresistible" "boobies" and "nice ass". Nicholas Sparks, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Goslin,  eat-chur-heart-out.

It also listed the different girls' arses that he looked at on a given day. The top of one page read, Asses I looked at today... and explained where he was able to see these mystical rear-ends. He saw them "in the hall", "in class", and "while talking to..." Um, while talking to them? Interesting. I delivered the notebook to the case manager. She said "oh, Jason did this... again..." and put it in one of two, completely filled, Jason folders. She also showed me a very similar list that Jason had put together a year or so ago. Nice. Henceforth, one of my colleagues referred to him as Buffalo Bill.

Even before the notebook incident, Jason had been difficult to handle. Along with learning disabilities, and emotional distress, he is presumed to have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.He has a constant need for attention and validation from any adult. To teach him is painful. In a class of twenty eight, he consumes more time than all of the rest of them combined. Overall he is relatively harmless, but he is constantly in the face of any and every teacher that crosses his path. He has questions for everything and if he makes a request cannot be told "no". If you tell him "no" there are two things that happen 1) he will hound you until you cave or 2) freak the f***out. He is relentless when he wants or thinks he needs something. That and he won't do any of the work required for the course...exhausting. I reported this (albeit a little more gently) to those people who came into the Parent-Teacher Conferences. We came up with a crude plan, they blamed the case manager and school psychologist, we shook hands, and went on our way.

The case manager and I continued our discussions about Josh. At one point, she went into some detail about his past. Come to find out, his father is a level three sex offender, with his daughter. Level three, according to his case manager, includes injury caused by penetration. I shook this guy's hand. Twice.

Jason was shipped to live with his biological father upon reaching the age of eighteen. It was speculated that once Jason turned 18, the biological mother could no longer care for him, as she was no longer collecting benefits for him. Jason moved in with his father and started a different life with his biological father. In a short while, however, he began having conflicts at home with his father and stepmother. They called the police on Jason multiple times. The police would show up, tell the parents that they have no grounds to arrest him, and then leave. This did not satisfy the disgruntled parents. Things escalated. I am not entirely in-the-know on all of his background, but eventually, with enough foot stomping, the parents were able to get him shipped out into a housing facility. Currently, Jason is living in a Children's Home in the area.

The more I have become aware of the situation, the more I have come to understand why Jason is so needy and down right irritating. He is constantly seeking the approval and validation of anyone who could possibly give it to him. I doubt he has ever had a mom or a dad look out for him, take care him. When he was no longer financially useful to his mother he was sent away. He is a thorn for his father and stepmother. For example--

My Film Studies class had been invited to watch the newly released Hobbit movie at a local theatre-restaurant. We got a pretty decent deal. $20 got us a bus ride, admission, popcorn, soda, all-you-can-eat pizza, ice cream sundaes--the works! Jason got his money through the Children's Home; However, Jason's parents were able to schedule an appointment during the time of this much anticipated field trip event. The following is part of an email we all received:

Jason is giving (Dad) a very difficult time about the conflict of a very important doctor’s appointment and the field trip to see the Hobbit. Because of Jason's argumentative state yesterday, his visit (with us) was canceled. The appointment has been rescheduled several times previously. Jason needs to be established as a patient there, to manage his medicines. His medicine supply that came with him from the program is almost gone.This cannot be rescheduled.

I truly believe that they scheduled this appointment to spite him and down right mess with him. This is probably the tip of the iceberg as far as his life has played out. It was mean and insensitive. My heart goes out to this kid. How does anyone in this situation survive? Everyday I try to maintain perspective, and understand how hurt he has been in the past. It is difficult, but we all do our best.