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The tales — ones of love and their consummation — are similar, but the experiences are always deeply personal.

After missing her period, Tesse purchased and administered a home pregnancy test. After the test came back positive, she was shocked and “stared at it for 30 minutes.”

The following afternoon Tesse’s mom took her to a doctor’s office. The pregnancy was confirmed and she was referred to an obstetrician/gynecologist.

“In my mind, it still wasn’t real. (I thought) it must be a mistake,” she said.

Tesse had just broken up with her boyfriend, Charles, three weeks earlier. Some people wondered if she had an ulterior motive to tell people she was pregnant; and it hurt her feelings to have all these people saying such terrible things about her, she said.

Charles believed her regardless of all the gossip and they got back together. When Tesse was five months pregnant, the couple broke up again and Charles got a new girlfriend. Tesse would see them together at school and, because the pain was so great, she would end up crying in bathroom stalls.

“It was so hard to feel someone didn’t love you and you were carrying their baby inside of you,” she said.

The months dragged on and Tesse grew bigger. In fact, Tesse said she cried one day when she could no longer fit in her desk.

“It was just so hard to do it all by myself at 14 (years old),” she said.

Charles visited Tesse and their daughter, Keily, at the hospital. He soon got a roofing job and the first thing Charles did after he received his paychecks was to bring them straight to her. They would cash his checks, buy everything Keily needed, and eat out if they had money left over. They began to grow closer and, after many discussions, were able to work through their problems.

Tesse, now 17, is one of five students attending the School of Hope. The school helps students to obtain a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).

“All of these girls would still be in school, but with the current truancy laws, they have to miss too much school with the pregnancy and the complications of pregnancy,” teacher Annette Breeden said.

“They have to miss because their child’s sick and needs to be taken care of. They do know a high school diploma would be considered better than a GED, but right now they are focusing on getting the education they can,” Breeden said.

One or two students hope to go on to college, she said. They will “have many obstacles to overcome to do that, but they still have that hope,” she said.

The school, a mission of Green Meadow United Methodist Church, also provides students with a support group comprised of peers who understand their experiences. The girls swap parenting tips and discuss their pregnancies with an infectious sense of humor and optimism.

A discussion, for example, about the trials of pregnancies quickly becomes a discussion about how hard it is to pick objects up late in pregnancy, and how convenient it is to prop books on your belly.

The school has a laid-back atmosphere and the program is very individualized. Students can work on whatever area of study they choose. Some of the girls sit at the table and draw doodles, such as a collage of multicolored stars, with their kid’s markers on bad days. They cook their lunches in the church’s kitchen and students have made everything from homemade chicken and dumplings to smoothies.

Another student, Elisha, has nursed her daughter at the table while doing her studies.
The mothers also can be seen routinely leaving the classroom to attend to their crying babies and can distinguish their baby’s cry from the others.

The girls have also been known to have a “Dr. Phil day,” where they vent and air their problems out, with a big mound of chocolate in the middle of their classroom table.

“I think the children and the mothers are (both growing), and learning and finding out about themselves,” nursery coordinator Linda Carleton said.

“You see the children growing up with age and finding out about all these different objects and cool things. Their mothers are growing with them and you definitely see the love the mother has,” she said. Their friends are also going through the same situations as they are, Carleton said. “So it’s really bringing them together as a family and allowing them to talk about the issues, problems and changes in (their) babies,” she said.

The bonds run deep in this makeshift family. Breeden’s students demonstrated their love and support when her mother passed away recently. They sent her cards, called her, and appeared at the reception of friends.

“They have helped me just as much I’ve helped them,” Breeden said.

The students have developed deep relationships with each other as well. Tesse and Elisha have been friends for three years.

Elisha found out she was pregnant when Tesse’s daughter was three-months-old. Since then, they have watched each other’s children grow and Elisha even served as the maidof honor in Tesse’s wedding to Charles.

The wedding reception was held at Green Meadow United Methodist Church; and the students have also used the church’s facilities for birthday parties.
Breeden said she considers the students to be her friends.

“We sit and talk about anything and everything; they ask unbelievable questions — sometimes extremely personal — but I just answer them honestly. They are trying to figure life out, they are trying to go forward with their lives, and (they are trying) to do the very best they can for their babies. They chose to have these children and they need to be supported in that effort,” Breeden said.

They have all accepted their maternal roles, she said.

“They took the challenge and responsibility — to them it’s what they’re supposed to do. They took control and tried to do the best with what they had,” Whitney Swaney said.

They stand up for their babies and think about what is best for them, Breeden said.

“We don’t technically have to be the mothers we are — we work to be the mothers we are,” Elisha said.

Tesse admits it would have been easier for the teenage moms and their children if they had waited.

“It wasn’t smart, but we’re strong because we’re doing it,” she said.

All they want is for their children to be proud of them and say “I wish I could be as strong as my mother,” Tesse said.

Next year, all five students will be coming back to the school. Linda Daugherty, coordinator and teacher, said the school is hoping to pick up another class of students.

The school is also looking at teaching more vocational skills, she said. Their plans, however, are all contingent on funding.