Frustration. That was the one feeling that surfaced as I watched my student cry and beg not to be brought to the University today. He was tired. We wasn't in the mood. It was going to be pointless bringing him in. I wanted to start my assessments. I already have several sessions to make-up for. I had to count to a 100 and breathe. Take a step back and see where he was coming from. It is the end of a long day. School sometimes is not kind to the children. There are things that happen in school that stresses them out. OK Michael,let me call Mom. As I watched him walk away (with a sprint in his step) with his mom, I found myself thinking of those numerous times I have felt a failure as a teacher because I have a child in my classroom who does not know his multiplication table despite the countless ways and the endless times I have spent helping him learn his facts, not to mention the times when I have a child, whom I know very well has the potential and the capability to achieve, but despite the encouragement, support and motivation I give him/her, you see him/her slipping away and then suddenly it is the end of the school year. Yes, as teachers there is only so much we can do. Sometimes it is enough that we try to open their eyes to the possibilities, ultimately, it is their choice. Like Galileo said "You can not teach a person anything, you can only help him find it within himself."