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Unsung heroes. We all know some. We see the disabled grandmother raising three young ones, struggling to get by but always putting those children first. We see a couple whose children are grown take in a young man, far from home who needs a little help finding his way back. We see a father include a young neighborhood boy in their Father’s day celebration when that boy’s own father cannot be there. We see random acts of kindness every day – if we are looking. So today, as we begin our summer celebration of school vacation, I want to help you see a few of the unsung heroes at our school – the teachers who help our resource students. We are blessed with compassionate and talented people here in Heber Springs, and that is not always the case.
I should begin by telling you that I have no tolerance – none — for a school system that tells a family that we will put you in jail if you do not make sure your diabetic child is at school and then lets that child slip into a state so severe that he has to be hospitalized by the end of the day. I have no tolerance for a system that thinks that accommodating a student who wants to take college prep classes, even when it is unlikely that he will live past the age of 25, means that his extended family will have to go to the school and hunt down the homework. And I have very little tolerance for a school that has meticulously documented every unacceptable outburst and behavioral problem preparing to kick a child out of school, but never once attempted to determine why an only child who was an angel at home and scored off the charts in intelligence tests could not survive a day at school. Switch that to no tolerance. Why should it take the lawyer, less than 5 minutes into the interview with the parents, to see that this child had an undiagnosed neurological condition that the trained professionals at the school did not even suspect? By the way, when we sent the child for tests designed to see how sensitive kids are to sounds, smells, and touch, those scores were off the charts as well. Walking down the hall for this kid was like walking through a war zone.
For so many of our resource students, school is like a war zone. The every day events and interactions that our children experience as a normal part of a day can be like land mines for some of these kids. Some of them have obvious physical challenges. For others, their brains just work a little differently and that makes school a challenge on many levels. Sometimes, figuring out how they work, so that the teachers can structure a plan to fit their needs, is a whole lot like military strategy. How do we win the war for this child?
Having seen so many situations where the system was not working well, I really want to brag on our resource teachers at the elementary school in Heber. We have highly qualified and trained people here. That is something to be proud of, but what we have here is something that training and money cannot buy – We have people with good hearts. We have one teacher who took the time to coach a summer baseball team that included more than one resource student on it. The team took first place, and for those young resource students, it will likely be the only trophy they ever have on their shelf. I watched her with those children. Never once did she make them, or their teammates feel like these children were less able or less valued. She not only treated them with respect, but her respectful attitude toward them set the tone for the other players.
Respect is the key. Our resource teachers look at our students with eyes of love and respect. They accept hugs in the aisles of the stores, send out smiles in the halls of the school, and they see the full potential of these children. They see these children as wonderful gifts to this world, flaws and all. In truth, we are all flawed. Maybe that is the real reason I am so impressed with this wonderful group of people. Through all the burdensome government regulations and demands, they never lose sight of the fact that these young ones depend on them. They fight the good fight. I am honored to know them. We are blessed to have them. They are our unsung heroes.
(Kim Kelley is an attorney in Heber Springs with a practice emphasis on consumer law and governmental abuses. She is also an educator and facilitates a group at St. Peter’s in Conway that focuses on the symbolism of biblical events and application to current affairs.)
Unsung heroes. We all know some. We see the disabled grandmother raising three young ones, struggling to get by but always putting those children first. We see a couple whose children are grown take in a young man, far from home who needs a little help finding his way back. We see a father include a young neighborhood boy in their Father’s day celebration when that boy’s own father cannot be there. We see random acts of kindness every day – if we are looking. So today, as we begin our summer celebration of school vacation, I want to help you see a few of the unsung heroes at our school – the teachers who help our resource students. We are blessed with compassionate and talented people here in Heber Springs, and that is not always the case.
I should begin by telling you that I have no tolerance – none — for a school system that tells a family that we will put you in jail if you do not make sure your diabetic child is at school and then lets that child slip into a state so severe that he has to be hospitalized by the end of the day. I have no tolerance for a system that thinks that accommodating a student who wants to take college prep classes, even when it is unlikely that he will live past the age of 25, means that his extended family will have to go to the school and hunt down the homework. And I have very little tolerance for a school that has meticulously documented every unacceptable outburst and behavioral problem preparing to kick a child out of school, but never once attempted to determine why an only child who was an angel at home and scored off the charts in intelligence tests could not survive a day at school. Switch that to no tolerance. Why should it take the lawyer, less than 5 minutes into the interview with the parents, to see that this child had an undiagnosed neurological condition that the trained professionals at the school did not even suspect? By the way, when we sent the child for tests designed to see how sensitive kids are to sounds, smells, and touch, those scores were off the charts as well. Walking down the hall for this kid was like walking through a war zone.
For so many of our resource students, school is like a war zone. The every day events and interactions that our children experience as a normal part of a day can be like land mines for some of these kids. Some of them have obvious physical challenges. For others, their brains just work a little differently and that makes school a challenge on many levels. Sometimes, figuring out how they work, so that the teachers can structure a plan to fit their needs, is a whole lot like military strategy. How do we win the war for this child?
Having seen so many situations where the system was not working well, I really want to brag on our resource teachers at the elementary school in Heber. We have highly qualified and trained people here. That is something to be proud of, but what we have here is something that training and money cannot buy – We have people with good hearts. We have one teacher who took the time to coach a summer baseball team that included more than one resource student on it. The team took first place, and for those young resource students, it will likely be the only trophy they ever have on their shelf. I watched her with those children. Never once did she make them, or their teammates feel like these children were less able or less valued. She not only treated them with respect, but her respectful attitude toward them set the tone for the other players.
Respect is the key. Our resource teachers look at our students with eyes of love and respect. They accept hugs in the aisles of the stores, send out smiles in the halls of the school, and they see the full potential of these children. They see these children as wonderful gifts to this world, flaws and all. In truth, we are all flawed. Maybe that is the real reason I am so impressed with this wonderful group of people. Through all the burdensome government regulations and demands, they never lose sight of the fact that these young ones depend on them. They fight the good fight. I am honored to know them. We are blessed to have them. They are our unsung heroes.
(Kim Kelley is an attorney in Heber Springs with a practice emphasis on consumer law and governmental abuses. She is also an educator and facilitates a group at St. Peter’s in Conway that focuses on the symbolism of biblical events and application to current affairs.)
