Joshua's Moment in the Spotlight

Ten-year-old Joshua's heart raced as it neared his turn to talk about an article for the day's "current event" assignment. His mom had given him an article at the beginning of the week, telling him to use it if he wanted. It had sat in his desk all week . . . now it was Friday, and he had forgotten to cut out an article the night before. He would have to use it. He decided he would just hold the article for his classmates to see, so as he stood in front of the class, he held up a full-color photo of himself, his mom, and his brother. The article's headline stood out boldly: "Meth-Addict Makes New Start" (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, December 1, 1996). As Joshua's classmates stared at the article, he felt he needed to say something, so he started explaining how his mother, brother, and he had been living in shelters for many years; his mom used to be on drugs and running from the law; she had just completed Pacific Lifeline's program; and now they had moved into their own apartment . . . and his eyes welled up with tears. The emotion of knowing what his mom had gone through to get herself to a place where she could once again properly take care of her family was overwhelming. He decided to pass the article around, and as he raced out of the spotlight to the safety of his desk, his classmates rose to give him a standing ovation.