Today was cleaning day. Beds moved, plants got repotted and papers were taken out to be sorted and arranged. I stumbled on an opening activity from a few years ago while culling the boxes. I am going to share these papers for a few days. They are fun. They also document the fact that children are not adults, something politicians and educational leaders too often forget.

When I Become School Principal

When I become the school’s principal I would get better lunch. I would get better sports equipment for gym. I would get the bathrooms cleaner. I would let every student have five minutes of free time in class. I’ll get vending machines in the school, but the students must eat or drink whatever they got at lunch. I would increase the amount of passing time between periods to 4 minutes. If possible, at the end of the school year I would take the eighth graders to a big camping field trip for three days. I would also have a field day for the whole school. This is what I would do when I become the school’s principal.

I remember this boy well, in part because his parents pulled him out of school for nearly two months to go back to Puerto Rico, where he did not go to school. He was exceptionally quick to pick up new material, though, so he survived academically, despite that long absence, just as he survived the drama of the glasses. For months, the nurse and I kept trying to get him eyeglasses. I was calling and the nurse was even sending letters home, since the kid was every bit as blind as that proverbial bat. I sat him in the front row, but he still had to copy from the boy next to him. Wacky side benefit: The boy next to him knew this boy could not see the board from the front row and took exceptionally good notes in this one class, because he knew those notes mattered. Kids rise to the occasion when given responsibility. They also take care of each other.

Memories. I watched my student copying from other students and said nothing. Sometimes a kid’s gotta do what a kid’s gotta do. He finally got corrective lenses toward the end of the year.*

I like the idea of finishing school with a three-day, camping field trip. I’ll chaperone any time.

*Best guess as to what was going on with those glasses. Dad had a phone that said, “This phone does not accept incoming calls.” He could never be reached, although I know he was there. His kids talked about him. Mom seemed like the nicest, most caring parent in the world. I’d say that the family had no money and dad would not take advantage of social programs. Those programs will provide one pair of glasses per year, but you have to go on the grid to get those free glasses.