On a Monday morning a few weeks ago, I got a nudge from a short, stout fourth grader named Alejandro. He liked to stand next to me on the playground and give me advice. On that morning, he directed my attention to some older girls who were just then arriving: “Ooo, heads up, Principal. Here […]
Tag Archives | Rebound
Zero
Two folding chairs sat just so in front of my desk. On the desk a pad, pen and one note in red ink. Oh, that’s right, I said to myself. I need to follow up. I called two students into my office. Kimberly a thin fifth grader, deep brown and sharp cheeked sat in the […]
Refuge
I had heard that a new second grader would be arriving and the contact in our central office promised to fill me in on details. I received no call. However, the boy himself did arrive, tugged along by his mother. She shooshed him and shoved him inside as a howl of wind slammed the door […]
Stand
Kids from the neighborhood, when they first come to school, bring along their street-ruled games. First rule: Stay in until you get flattened. As long as you can stand, you can play. Last long enough and you become a neighborhood titan. Isaiah – or Isaiah the Thin – was one such titan who could have […]
Break
If I could lift a question up and hold high, it would be the one about breaking points. At what point does a child break? And, since breaks are sometimes brutal, what benefit comes of them? Couldn’t we sidestep them all together? For example: What good came of a fight just a block from the school […]
Air
I got a reminder of the link between air and change in a dream I had last night. It involved a kindergarten boy who roamed my school’s halls, fleeing from adults, and shouting out “Let me out.” as he ran up one set of stairs and down another. As several of us chased him, I […]
Second
At the end of recess last Friday, I blew the line-up whistle. The scramble began. It took only one child switching from walk to run and then the pandemic spread. In an instant I had twelve students dashing across the playground to be first. Several boys showed remarkable cutting skills, slicing in front of their […]
