This morning I went to the Breakfast Club gathering expecting, without knowing for sure, the others to join me. At first I was alone, but visited with a couple of ladies who were guests at the hotel. One lady complimented my hair, wishing she could wear hers this way, except she didn't think she could pull it off. Apparently, according to her, I have the face for it.
As it grew time for the buffet to be taken down, I decided to begin eating. Kathy, the breakfast lady, made sure I had the 'right sized' soda glass as suggested by Marlena, and she kept it full. The breakfast buffet is the same each week, the leftovers after the Rotarians are done. The bacon is done to perfection, and this time I was able to pick it up with the tongs and not have it crumble to pieces.
As I was about finished, Pat showed up! I was so glad to see her and after our hug, handed her the movie I brought along for her. A couple weeks ago we'd discussed the movie, "Freedom Writers". She said she will enjoy watching it at some point before next week's breakfast. I'd have loved to watch with her but oh well...
As we visited, I told her about a book I'd seen on-line the previous day that talked about paying attention to the stuff around you, taking pleasure in the sights and sounds we tend to rush past on the street. I described it as a "stop, and smell the roses" book, though I wished to avoid the cliche.
Pat smiled and told me a story about one of her students from years back. When teaching her second graders, she was presented with a very difficult student. Andi had spastic quadraplegia, which included un-controlled motions among other problems. The parents wanted her taught the same things the other kids were, despite the fact that Pat was not a special education teacher. Mom and Dad would take turns in the classroom until Pat was given an aide. Because of the spasticism, Andi could not use regular scissors so Pat found a pair of needle point scissors requiring a different motion than a regular pair. Andi mastered them.
Pat felt badly that she couldn't actually teach this little girl the same way she taught the others, Andi being so different than the others. At recess, Pat and little Andi would sit on a mat while the others played. Well, one day the occupational therapist brought Andi back to the classroom, and put on a demonstration for the class. Andi got down on the floor and managed to 'inch worm' her way forward. A major accomplishment!
After this demonstration, Pat was writing something on the board, and then turned around to find her class on the floor, trying to do what their friend, Andi, did. They said, "Look, Ms. Pat, we can be like Andi!" It was a profound moment for Pat as a teacher, discovering that while she was trying to make Andi more like the other kids, they wanted to be more like Andi! She said that teaching Andi helped her to 'stop, and smell the roses', and gives it special meaning for her.
I asked what happened to Andi later in school, and Pat said, "Her parents died when a train bridge broke in LA..." Oh my! It seems the three of them were traveling by train coming back from somewhere. When the bridge gave way, the dad was able to push Andi in her wheelchair up through a window, and then he dove back for the mom. The train car shifted, and both the parents died. Andi survived, in part, because her parents had insisted she be taught to swim like other kids were taught....and she lived through the accident.
The last Pat heard from her dear Andi was that she was getting married and lived in Ohio now. She had gotten a rather substantial settlement from the railroad and she was able to live 'like other kids' after the loss of her parents.
Of course, I had tears in my eyes and the hair on my arms was standing up. I told Pat that I was so glad to know her and enjoyed her stories from the classroom, even those that involved teaching on the floor when hearing gunshots outside. Yikes! These are extraordinary people, these teacher friends of mine!
Pat smiled and told me a story about one of her students from years back. When teaching her second graders, she was presented with a very difficult student. Andi had spastic quadraplegia, which included un-controlled motions among other problems. The parents wanted her taught the same things the other kids were, despite the fact that Pat was not a special education teacher. Mom and Dad would take turns in the classroom until Pat was given an aide. Because of the spasticism, Andi could not use regular scissors so Pat found a pair of needle point scissors requiring a different motion than a regular pair. Andi mastered them.
Pat felt badly that she couldn't actually teach this little girl the same way she taught the others, Andi being so different than the others. At recess, Pat and little Andi would sit on a mat while the others played. Well, one day the occupational therapist brought Andi back to the classroom, and put on a demonstration for the class. Andi got down on the floor and managed to 'inch worm' her way forward. A major accomplishment!
After this demonstration, Pat was writing something on the board, and then turned around to find her class on the floor, trying to do what their friend, Andi, did. They said, "Look, Ms. Pat, we can be like Andi!" It was a profound moment for Pat as a teacher, discovering that while she was trying to make Andi more like the other kids, they wanted to be more like Andi! She said that teaching Andi helped her to 'stop, and smell the roses', and gives it special meaning for her.
I asked what happened to Andi later in school, and Pat said, "Her parents died when a train bridge broke in LA..." Oh my! It seems the three of them were traveling by train coming back from somewhere. When the bridge gave way, the dad was able to push Andi in her wheelchair up through a window, and then he dove back for the mom. The train car shifted, and both the parents died. Andi survived, in part, because her parents had insisted she be taught to swim like other kids were taught....and she lived through the accident.
The last Pat heard from her dear Andi was that she was getting married and lived in Ohio now. She had gotten a rather substantial settlement from the railroad and she was able to live 'like other kids' after the loss of her parents.
Of course, I had tears in my eyes and the hair on my arms was standing up. I told Pat that I was so glad to know her and enjoyed her stories from the classroom, even those that involved teaching on the floor when hearing gunshots outside. Yikes! These are extraordinary people, these teacher friends of mine!
No comments:
Post a Comment