the Night Watchman

French and I always struggled in school; we both took an extra year to finish.  I improved, and eventually succeeded because my girlfriend was in the gifted program; and I needed to step up my game to keep that relationship.  French had a secret to his  academic success as well.  He gives credit to his university degrees, History and Education, to his college job as a night watchman.

French got into university as a mature student, (he was 21 before he even started college) but he needed a job to pay tuition.  He knew a guy that was working in human resources at the Nature Museum, and this connection helped French get a job, but there was a down side: his shifts were always overnight.  At first, he hated it.  French was all alone in a massive museum.  He had to do an occasional patrol, but mostly he had to sit a desk and monitor the cameras, and basically be a presence in the building.

He was so bored that he eventually brought his oft neglected textbooks, and started to study and write essays on the computer.  French would brew coffee and just pound the books.  When he got tired he'd go on a quick patrol.  For a lot of his papers he could collect data, or get ideas, right from the exhibits.

Every shift he'd manage to do up to 7 hours of homework.  French went from a guy who failed multiple classes in high school to the gold medal winner in his program.

So when I look out at the students who are struggling I don't give up hope.  They may get into an inspiring relationship, or get a great job or...