Leading with the Soul

This past week I was faced with a real dilema at my campus. One of my students has been not attending school and spending his days with older boys in his neighbor, smoking dope and possibly selling crack. I wanted so badly for this young man to make it since he has had all the odds against him...no significant male figures in his life; a single mother who is working and going to school; and a learning disability. My dilema was, "do I get involve to the point that I intervene in this kid's life and get emotionally involved or do I report him to juvenile probation and let the courts take care of the situation?" The very next absent day from school I decided that I would go to his house and bring him to school. When I arrived he was not home, but as I stepped off the porch I spotted him turning around at the sidewalk to walk away after seeing me. I got in my car and followed him and as I pulled up next to him, I insisted that he get in the car. He complied. When we arrived back at the school I spoke with him for over an hour. I sent him on to class not knowing if anything got through to him. He remained at school that day and came the school the next day which was his first two consecutives days in attendance in over two weeks. Sometimes we have to lead with the soul...