Troubled Youth :: Essays Papers

Troubled Youth I started the first day very fearless, yet reserved. I knew had to face this challenge head on. At the time I was working a regular job during the night for about eight hours a day. The accomplishment was different though; it happened shortly after receiving the job. I was just beginning community service at the same time at a local elementary school as a helper to the janitors. The crime was petty but it inhibited fifty hours of free service to the local education center. I chose this place because of its relative ease, and it was also an area I could easily get to and from. Upon first arrival I met the principal of the school. He would be my superior, but my first impression explained to me what he was all about. He was a fairly easy going man, and was straightforward when he needed to be. I found this to be true with many people that I have met who are of his same stature. He was about the size of the students attending. The irony of this anomaly was the vehicle he drove, a station wagon raised with massive tires and even more exemplified by the large lights strewn above the windshield of the car. I would see this machine on a regular basis and always think, â€Å"How in the hell does he get in?† The head janitor was very tall, and not very muscular. He was an amazingly friendly man, and I could tell he was passionate about his job, but was very restrained socially because of the people he was forced to communicate with on a daily basis. There were two other janitors, underlings of the head janitor. One was a short black man, he had been originally from Kenya, his English was horrible but he was a very life loving man. When he would sporadically speak, it was mainly just to mock his associate janitor. The associate of the Kenyan man was a very enthralling person. Everybody around me scoffed at him, to his face and behind his back. This really didn’t matter to him due to the fact that he was mentally unstable. He dragged his feet while walking and could barely hold his up in any given situation. His speech was often times so slurred that he would say something everyone in the room would look at him, and then ignore what had just happened and go back to their business.