Humans of NTN: Matt Thompson, NTN School Development Coach
“One student, Adrian. I wish I could say I got further along with him. He was just hard to deal with in a classroom. He had no interest in the work and would be disruptive and ugly to his peers. If I had taken that at the surface level, I would have been frustrated or pissed off. I realized Adrian had been homeless for most of his education, had been in countless homes and over 12 schools.
I don’t know that we landed on some kind of movie moment where he saw this ‘magical light’, but he taught me something. I tried and I became a better listener and I hope he felt listened to. I grew and understood that we only see the tip of the iceberg with people. Beneath the tip, everyone has depth, and if you don’t ask, you never know how you can improve relationships.”