Great Kids

We have some Basic II kids in our school, kids main stream teachers like me usually give very little thought to. We pass them in the hall, watch them get on their school buses and see them caring for the plants in the lobby. Mostly, we feel sorry for them and then forget they exist.

Well, I will never feel that way again. Yesterday I had the honor and privilege of covering one of their classes because their teacher was absent. I found these kids to be enthusiastic, friendly, extremely helpful and quite bright, in their own ways.



C carries around this key board because he has trouble writing but is a very good typist. He demonstrated his skill for me and I was very impressed. He was much faster than most adults I know and his spelling was perfect. He told me about the USB port and how he goes home and prints up all his notes.

The kids worked on a puzzle the teacher left. All of them completed it in record time and there was no grumbling, like I find in mainstream classes. I then asked D what his favorite subject was. When he told me it was math, I showed him how to do a simple derivative (after all, only subtraction was involved.) It took him a while to get it, but I could see he was excited about learning such a complex subject.

I also noticed the room had a smart board and in my constant quest to learn to use the thing, I turned it on. Of course, I was lost immediately. But, my problems were soon solved by these wonderful kids who gathered around, got it going and gave me a lesson. They took turns writing on the computer and using the board.

Working with these kids was an eye opening experience for me. It is something every teacher needs to do. The world is made up of all kinds of people and the best way to learn to live in it and to help all our students grow is to know first hand what everyone is all about. I know the next time I see these kids laboring in the garden I will go over to visit and praise their hard work. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to get to know them.

This coverage was a pay back for one I owed. It is one I would gladly take again, owed or not.

(Sorry for the bad pictures, I had my cell phone camera available.)