Past tense verbs

I visited two students today.  At both houses there was 1 small space heater per house (not per room).  It is 30 degrees outside.  We fixed the heating problems.  Then the a mother of one students told me her story.  It went something like this.

     'I abandoned him as a baby, I went to find a better life in America.  I left him with his father but then his father was murdered and he was left with a grandfather who was old and didn't make him mind.  At age 16 he came to America and I met him in the airport.  He saw me and wouldn't stop crying, he said "you are not my mother."  He had not seen me since he was a baby.  Now he will not mind me and he will not call me mother.  He resents his younger siblings here who I had in America.  He does not respect me and can be difficult.'

This is my student.  He can be difficult and disrespectful and hard to deal with but wow! do I have so much more patience with this kid after hearing about his life.  To everyone else in the school he is just another ESOL student.  To me he is hurt, he is potential, and he is loveable.  I listen to him, encourage him, push him, see him give up on a daily basis, watch him disrespect women daily (don't worry, I do something about all of this), but I will never give up on him.  So many people have already.  I love this kid, I love all my kids.  How could you not?

Time to learn some past tense verbs.