Thank you, Teachers.

In honour and celebration of the last day of school before Christmas, a story from my Dad in response to conversation on cultural vertigo.

"I must say though that it is not an entirely thankless profession. I teach in a school-to-work transition program for at-risk teens in an inner city school. About 5 years ago a 16 year old refugee from Somalia enrolled. Just after I had taken him through the orientation module and set him up with a work experience placement at the local KFC, he disappeared. This Friday (Dec. 15th) he arrived at my classroom door to ask for my help. He had just arrived in the city the day before on a flight from Nairobi, Kenya. The story goes that when he disappeared 4 1/2 years ago his aunt had taken him to visit his parents in Somalia, whom he had not seen for quite some time. However, instead of taking him to see Mom & Dad, she placed him in an Islamic boarding school (with armed guards). The school was filled with young men in the country illegally who had at one time gone to North America and were, in the minds of family here, at risk of leaving the Muslim faith. He was beaten regularly and tried to escape. The war in Somalia reached the walls of the enclave a month or so ago when a bomb exploded nearby and blew a hole in the wall, he and some others fled to Kenya as fast as they could go. He really doesn't want to go back, speak to his aunt who sent him away or speak to the imam at the local mosque. He did say he was a changed man (now 20) and he thanked me very sincerely for my help."