Difficult. Difficult. Difficult.

There is no other way to describe today other than "difficult".  I sit here writing with a broken heart.

Mr. Nickson caught an 8th grade student cheating on a test by using a "cheat sheet" that he had made containing the answers to every question on the test.   TLC is a christian school teaching christian values, so we are very strict with a no cheating policy.  The students are all aware that if they make the choice to cheat and get caught they will be expelled from TLC.

This student was only three months away from his 8th grade graduation.  While I love every student at TLC, I happen to know some of the older students a little better than others.  This is because I help lead a Bible study and youth group at the church.  Many of the TLC students come to youth group and/or Bible study.  This particular student came every week to both Bible study and youth group.  In fact, just two days ago he was at the Bible study that I lead.  He loves Jesus and he knows right from wrong, but he chose to make a bad decision today.

As a mentor and role model for the kids in the youth group and the students at TLC, it is incredibly difficult to watch someone make a bad decision when you know that they know better.  I feel like I might have just gotten a little glimpse of what it is like to be a parent.  This situation has been a reminder to me that no matter how much time, energy, instruction, and love you invest into a person's life, ultimately it is up to that person to chose to live according to the Word.

The students at TLC come from very poor families and as you know, we provide a free education.  So, for this student expulsion potentially means that he might not be able to continue his education at all.  It was a tearful decision for both Mr. Nickson and myself as we sat in the school office discussing the situation.  This was not the first occurrence that this student has broken school rules, and he has been given multiple chances to change.  Both my heart and Mr. Nickson's heart were broken.  I know that deep down both of us wanted to just bend the rule and allow him to stay in school.  However, we knew that we couldn't.  We are here to teach these students, and sometimes that is not always easy.  In this case, we had to teach this student that there are consequences for all of our actions in life.  Tough love really is tough.

So, I ask you to pray for Mr. Nickson, myself, and especially this student.