To be someone’s father at my age… Bon Air Week 1 Reflection

On the bus ride over Professor Dolson commented that we should probably be the least nervous because we had the benefit of two groups going before us, but I was still nervous. Reading my classmates accounts of their experiences holds no guarantee that my own would be the same. I was also worried about how I was going to confidently walk in without crutches and hide the pain walking was causing me, so I could “own the space” as Ashley had instructed us to do. The first thing that put me at ease was parking in the spot reserved for the assistant principle. I really don’t know what that was so comforting, but possible it shifted my thoughts away from jail and to a school, which is something more familiar and friendly to me. I was surprised by how easy the security check was.

I unfortunately can’t remember my partner’s name. Our group of boys seemed a little more rowdy than the ones described in prior posts. My partner was very eager to share his poem and listened to mine, but after that we kind of just sat in silence for a few moments before I pushed the conversation forward. He told me about his hometown and dreams and his family. I was surprised how much of a solid plan he had for his future and how motivated he seemed to make it a reality.

My biggest shock of the night came during the story telling activity. He revolved to me that he has an almost one year old daughter. He said that realizing he was going to be someone’s father at his age was one of his scariest moments, even compared to the more violent ones he had already told me about. That particular quote just really has stuck with me. I also observed that he was super different one on one than he was in the group setting and I want to continue watching that.