Damaged Goods?

I love teaching. I think I was born to teach. However, I think I still hold the record for being the worst behaved student at Ridgecrest Elementary School. I remember being paddled in music class AND by my second grade teacher. This really didn't change my behavior. I excelled at third grade with a very understanding teacher that understood my creativity and curiosity. She knew when I had the wiggles to put me to work cleaning and organizing. Even still, there were years and years of spending time in the principal's office. I would walk in and he would automatically dial my parents' phone numbers from memory. I was a "Tomboy" and loved doing anything possible to get the boys to chase me at recess. I would hit the boys, kick them or give them a karate chop and flip them over my back just to get their attention. I remember one time the teacher said, "I'm going to paddle the next person that talks." The boy sitting behind me took the opportunity to pull my pony tail. Without the opportunity to explain myself I was sent to the hall. I wasn't about to be paddled, so I simply ran out the back of the school and ran all the way home. My plan worked perfectly because I got home and started watching television. The only problem was the principal came and got me. My parents had the rule that if you got paddled at school you got it twice as bad at home. I don't remember being spanked very often at home, but I do remember being grounded all the time. So, why was I so bad? I was really over-active and had good intentions. I was curious. I remember bringing a magnifying glass to school to see if the sunlight coming through the window and passing through the glass could ignite paper. My 4th grade teacher wasn't amused when smoke was coming out of my desk. My teachers would have a heart attack if they only knew I became a teacher.

Last week I heard about how horrible some of my students were in previous grades. Call it old age or call it bad memory, but I don't remember these children being horrible when I taught them 2 years ago. Some of them had some personal issues, but they really weren't horrible. Some of the students (actually a bunch of them) were behind in school, but they weren't really just damaged goods. I refused to write them off then and I have vowed not to listen to the negative comments now. These are children that belong to somebody's parent. That parent really did send me their best child and it's up to me to make them better. The parents aren't keeping the good kids at home and sending me the bad kids. It's up to me to turn it around.

On the third day of school we had a child just show up without a parent to register the child (to keep the child anonymous I will not reveal any detail including gender about the child, so please forgive the monotony.) He/she was finally assigned to a homeroom and began rotating with his/her class. The child got in trouble in every class he/she went to. I was determined to find out what was going on. Typically children are on their best behavior on their first day of a new school, so why was this child acting out? I found out this little child had more issues in his/her life that most adults wouldn't be able to handle. The next time he/she was in my class I had the opportunity to pull the child aside. I made sure all the issues I could help him/her with like money for the MOOSE notebook, school supplies, and even clothing were taken care of for him. All of a sudden there was a different child in my classroom. I told this child there were adults at school that could help him/her with the problems. Today I noticed the child walking in the hall in a different direction from where he/she should have been and found out he/she went to go have a conversation with someone about the issues. A child just needs an advocate. A child needs to know what it is he/she is doing right and how to improve. Every child really does want the positive attention, but when they can't get the positives needed from an adult, they will seek out the attention in anyway possible. I call it the firework display of emotions. Sometimes the fireworks are beautiful and sometimes you get the duds that misfire. In the end, all you care about seeing is the beautiful finale of all the colors that finally come together.

In the grocery store fruit department, the damaged fruit is tossed to the trash. The bruised bananas are discarded and no one gives them a second glance. In my classroom, if a child is damaged, they aren't discarded. I'll love them, encourage them, scold them when needed, but they are anything but discarded. Damaged goods? I don't think so. I wouldn't even put my students on "clearance." Afterall, their parents sent me their best child. It's up to me to make them even better.