Teaching at Crossroads

Have you seen one of those movies when a hidden cache is found post-apocalypse with all the survivors in the world? I had a similar experience like that last week when I taught my first class to the students at Crossroads, which is the high school in the Anchorage School District for pregnant and parenting teens.

My friend C joined me~~she's a former ER and OB nurse~~and we slipped in the front door into another world. Here was a large area with desks, textbooks, white boards, and every nature of school equipment, but scattered throughout were not only students but babies. Every student bore the mark of suffering~~this was not an easy path by any means~~and their faces reminded me of those survivors mentioned earlier~~hidden away from the rest of the world, emotionally battered but ready and curious for the next step. About 6 of the 20 or so had babies. The rest were at various stages of pregnancy. Their ages ranged from 14 to 19. Diaper bags and breastpumps rested here and there among textbooks.

We began our class on breastfeeding and I instantly fell in love with the place. I felt certain that I could happily work here my whole life. The class went very well and the students were engaged and interactive (I wish I knew the secret because I had a terrible time encouraging interaction among teens in the childbirth classes I used to teach at Crisis Pregnancy Center!). At one point, a student in her first trimester ran out of the room throwing up along the way and lunging into the bathroom. Another teacher followed in after her with a mop and helped her get cleaned up. This was infinitely more useful than "See? This is what you get for being pregnant."

I left the class seriously moved. These young women had a supportive environment in which to finish school and maintain ties with their community during what is so often an isolating experience, even for adults who become parents. The teachers were not patronizing in the least, but in no way downplayed the reality of the students' newfound or upcoming roles in life. I found their candor to be respectful and realistic.

I really can't wait to go back.