School's Out- Part II (heartwarming edition)

So, my assistant and I were rearranging the classroom and found many toys under the kitchen set. We also found some objects we couldn't identify. We finally realized it was petrified poop and were horrified. Never did apprehend the culprit! Little nasty, little funny....

I had a dad offer to build the set and the students loved participating. The content met academic benchmarks (basically, it covered curriculum required), however, the principal didn't necessarily approve. My kids knew all the subject material and passed standardized tests (despise those tests, but off topic) but because it wasn't 'traditional' learning, she thought it was a waste of time. I hated using worksheets for every grade and constantly created lesson plans that used other means of presenting the subject matter. Whatever dude, parents requested for their child to be in my class.

So this wasn't my idea, but when we taught the letters 'M' & 'D' in kindergarten, we invited parents in for a special celebration with their child. If Mom or Dad wasn't available or in the picture, we encouaged a grandparent or other family/friend to attend. The kids absolutely loved it and the parents were happy to help with the food. I had many, many wonderful parents who were incredibly supportive.

Ok. So our school was out in the country. The roads were narrow, with no shoulder & deep ravines on both sides. Several years prior, the speed limit was reduced from 55 to 45 because a child was hit. (Tragically, the child did not survive... this was way before my time there)

The child walking was a discipline issue in my class. He was constantly acting out and I felt that I would never be able to reach him. I later learned that his mother was usually passed out drunk on the couch and he had to get himself ready for school. He missed the bus and rather than skipping school, he walked. While that part is sad, it let me know that even though it didn't seem like I was making any difference, he still showed up. Never give up on the challenging ones!

Same student as the previous. We had to get creative when handling discipline with him. He refused to go to the office when I'd have to send him because he'd gotten out of control. (He once threw a desk at me) So, I'd write a note for him to take to the office for me. We knew he'd read it so it had to be in code. I'd write, "Mrs. Sara, are there any brownies left?" or, "Mrs. Sara, I could really go for a cookie!" or, "Mrs. Sara, we need to add 3 ice cream bars to lunch." (Our school sold several types of ice cream bars and students could buy them for 50 cents to have after lunch) He once made the comment that I was hungry all the time, but never figured out he was sent to the office because he was in trouble! It got to become commical to find a new food to write about!

I was single when I did this. If the kids told me when their games were, I'd try to attend at least one during the season. The kids loved it and their parents appreciated knowing you cared. I'm not a saint, just a normal person who loved her students. I even went to 'Ralph's' football game.