Patching Cracks

Nearly 20 years ago, I started working at a children’s home in Indiana. It was an impatient mental health facility for kids. One of the people I met in new staff orientation was a fellow named Mark. He had been working at the home for over 30 years and was spectacular at his job. The day I met him, I decided I wanted to learn to work with kids as well as he did. He was a behavior specialist at the on-campus school and did all sorts of campus support work in the evenings. At every opportunity, I watched him do his job, asked him questions, listened to him talk, and made it a point to learn anyt...