Most likely this is the last blog post of 2019. I, for one, will be happy to say goodbye to this year, but happy about many other things in the future.
When I still lived in Maryland, I used to do some substitute teaching at various elementary schools nearby. It was what I actually went to college to become ( an elementary art teacher), so all those child development bits returned over the days spent in classrooms. Eventually, some schools realized that I was good at handling the "handicapped" kids. Those with health problems, those with emotional problems, and more. What a catastrophe in my first class was! Kids running rampant up and down the halls. Other teachers coming in to tell me to keep them quieter and much worse. Perhaps I wasn't cut out to be a teacher of humans. Maybe I needed to just teach horses and forget helping out if needed.
There was a little guy who was in a 3rd-grade class I tried to teach a few different times. Each time we got a little better and being "quiet" but still? Mayhem. The teacher had left me instructions to do certain things throughout the day but many times it just didn't happen.
One day, I stood up and told my "class" of 12 that we were not going to work on anything according to their teacher's directions, but to do some artwork. A couple of little girls were very excited as they Loved Art. We talked about what art was and had a few stories told. All the while that little fellow sat listening and paying attention. He normally was one of the rowdy boys as he'd had little to no discipline at home, but he was, soaking it all up.
It must have been two hours of almost peace while they all worked on their "Art". Almost... Every so often the little gal who was so mentally and physically underdeveloped would scream and smile. The rest would "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" her. I just smiled. Then one of the other kids saw a bug on a window... Havoc occurred as all rushed to the window to see said bug. That took a good 25 minutes of "science" going on. What IS a bug? Where do they come from? Why are bugs around? The answers were hilarious but I kept from laughing as much as I could.
Lunchtime came and off we all went to the cafeteria. Once that was done, recess was big on their list for the next item to happen. Off we all trooped to be outside. I had no idea how long recess was to be, so when the other teachers started taking their classes inside, so did I. That worked well!
After lunch, recess, we had a 'quiet time'- a sort of nap time but not really. Some read their favorite books if they knew how, some snoozed, and some, well one, screamed.
Back to finish our "art" - aka- drawings. It wasn't long until it was time to go home via buses, parents, and the ones who walked with an older sibling. After they'd all gone, I realized I was exhausted and didn't know just how this class's teacher did it day after day.
I was assigned to that same class of kids a few times and we all got to know each other quite well. They were always fun, loud but they also tried hard to keep themselves under control.
One morning, I had once again been called to "teach" another class and actually was looking forward to it. As I was walking down the hall to my classroom, there were lines of children walking along - I had no idea where, but there they were. All of a sudden, one little scruffy boy dashed out of his line and began running towards me. His teacher began calling to him, but he paid no attention to her whatsoever. He slowed down a little as he got close to me, handed me a piece of paper, and hugged my waist ever so tightly. It was Tommy... the kid who never ever showed emotion nor would allow himself to be touched, or would not touch anyone. EVER. I took the piece of paper and hugged him softly, telling him that his hug was perfect. Then, off he dashed again into his line.
Later on, a number of teachers who saw what had happened came over to let me know that Tommy simply did not DO things like that. That was a big breakthrough... When I got home after classes were done, I remembered that piece of paper he'd given me. I opened it up and there was ( I think) a picture drawn by him- and right in the middle of "me" was a giant red heart. I kept that drawing for years afterward, and with various moves, it has disappeared. I'll never forget that little guy who understood kindness and that others have a big heart too.
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