assumptions

In my first year of being a teacher I made a poor assumption about one student. This young man slept in my class daily. I didn't think very highly of him. I thought he didn't care about his grade or his performance. It wasn't until I pulled him aside and had a talk with him that I realized just how wrong I was. He informed me that he had a job. He also added that his father was an alcoholic. It wasn't the job the made him so tired. His father would drink too much and my student would have to care for his younger siblings and his father. I later found out that he was able to keep up with the class even when he put his head down.
I could ask this young man a question and he would always know the right answer. I learned the every student has a unique set of circumstances. Furthermore, I learned that fair isn't always equal. I was grateful for having learned this lesson early in my career.