Not Only Michael Fox

Yesterday an older student came in to my class with very well-organized papers, which he shook as he showed me.  I guessed that he had Parkinson's Disease, and today that was confirmed when he came to my office with a document about Parkinson's and a series of papers that showed more than what he had highlighted yesterday.  (I told him I admired him for continuing to go to school and that I understood Parkinson is a hard thing to deal with.  I pointed to Michael Fox's name and commented on how much I liked him.  But of course he can't really be a role model--just an indication that wonderful people get Parkinson's.  Yesterday, I saw that he'd successfully completed ESL 130 and ESL 132, so he seemed eligible for my class.  But today I saw that he'd failed ESL 142 and ESL 140 twice, so he had to petition to repeat.  I wrote a note to Greg so this student could see him at 10:00, when I'd already be teaching another class.  Later, I got an e-message from another teacher saying he needed more students because his numbers were down, and my numbers looked secure, so he'd appreciate it my sending him this student, whom he named.  (I don't know how he knew the student was trying to add, but I know he was had failed the student in ESL 140.)    I really have referred students to other teachers when I've known they needed them.  But I hope we never get into anything like "the skin trade."