Send me your devils and other signs of trouble.

As a school principal in a small middle school, I never saw the good kids except at graduation, when they picked up the medals, the awards, the applause of their families and friends.

I sat mostly with the devils, the troubled, the misfit, and their parents.
Double trouble, children and their care-takers.  Usually, they acted and thought the same way.

I don't have many memories of angelic events, the great sports and musical performances, the national and regional awards  such events brought to our school and were immortalized on the halls of our institution.

No. I only remember those children/adolescents who had worn out their welcome, and their teachers' patience, and were sent to the office to see me, The Principal.  Sometimes, the secretary had them waiting for me in the reception hallway, between boxes she was emptying, keeping them in a useful mode of sorts. When I'd ask her why she hadn't send them to me right away, she'd admit that they were good at helping her out, and that I needed a little respite between cases.

I remember my first suspension. A young man in a ceramic class.  The substitute on that particular day was young and delicate, her first assignment in middle school. When the noon bell rang, she walked the young man to the office with the evidence he had created, a perfect anatomical representation of a male part.  The assignment was to make a vase.

The secretary got him lunch, and then put him to work emptying boxes until I was available to see him.  His art work sat on the front desk the entire time!
When I returned from lunch duty, that art work was the first thing that I saw.
"What's this?"
"Oh, it belongs to ...He's waiting for you."
"Send him in!"

Now, you know that the artistic merit of that work of art is not and was never in question.  When his mother was called and the situation described to her, you know what she said?
"He must have been bored to death!"

Ah, these scenes have not left me yet.
Perhaps I should write them all down and.....

Before school starts: helpful hints.

Thank you Tessa: http://anarealarmadillo.blogspot.com/
I'm not sure I thanked Tessa at Anarealarmadillo for this wonderful award. If you do not know her, please hop along and visit her. There is a lot to learn about reaching out from the wonderful Tessa. And today, with schools starting in many places, we all need to reach out and help each other through.

This week, I wanted to reach out to all you mothers and fathers of school-age children.

School opens for many early in September; for some it has already open. Parents are probably concerned about lots of things when their youngsters start a new term. And this is a good time to share with you some little known nuggets of information.

1. Schools run on a very tight schedule and an even tighter budget. They deal with hundreds of children, hundreds of parents, and hundreds of employees. They are in a business run on precise schedules and even more precise rules. Do not bother them with silly questions during the busiest time of their year. Unless you want to be on their "watch these folks" list.

2.Your child is one of many. His/her welfare is important; his happiness is important; but not as important as you think. What is most important is that things run smoothly, everything and everyone in the appropriate place, and that your child knows how not to tip this delicate scale.

3. Follow the instructions sent to you regarding schedules, supplies, contacts, emergency numbers, etc. Schools do not like sending home stuff either. But, they do not have time to call you individually and remind you of these things. You may think that they should have all this information in their files/computers. They may not. So, for your child's welfare, send the information, follow the schedule, buy the right supplies, and do not call the school to find out information you have in your packets!

4. Schools have to survive with fewer resources every year. If they ask for volunteers to help, they need conscientious helpers. You might ask yourself what the heck are you paying taxes for, when you get all these requests to volunteer, to fundraise, to donate money and merchandise. Without volunteers, lots of events and opportunities for children would not take place.

5. Wait and see how your child is doing. If he/she tells you that he hates his classes, his seat mate, his lunch schedule, whatever he/she dislikes can wait to be discussed back at school. Your child needs to handle his/her discomfort. Ask what he can do to alleviate the problem. Yes. Not what the school can do to move him to another class, but what your child can do to tolerate the discomfort. Why? Because, in life, he will encounter many discomforts that he needs to handle. If mommy or school solves his problems, how will he learn? You can jump on me on this one. This one is tough.

I'm stopping here. You can gather your thoughts and vent back at me if you wish.