July 17, 2005
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Just a long comment I gave a friend who is having some trouble with a child at the daycare she works at. I know it is a sorry excuse for an update but it is late and I am tired. Here ya go, for all those wondering what I’ve been up to lately.
“It seems to me that this little girl needs the most care of any of the children. I’m up here in Milwaukee spending six weeks in a religious community (the Jesuits, if you’ve ever heard of them.) From 8-12 in the morning I help teach inner city kids (African-American for the most part) in seventh grade English. From 12-5 I teach five and six year old Hispanic children, some of whom do not speak English. I speak NO Spanish, but we communicate in other ways. I have several children whom I would lable. “troublemakers.” A person’s first instinct is to try and get rid of them, remove the problem so to speak. However, I could never do that.
These Hispanic children come from extremely poor families. The program that they come to is something that their parents can take them where they have a chance to have fun and learn in a positive environment. The other day one child, a kid named Christian, was climbing all over my friend Alex. Alex got to the point where his shoulders hurt too much from the kid climbing on him that he asked the kid to stop, but Christian wouldn’t stop. Eventually Alex pried him off and asked, “Why didn’t you stop climbing on me when I asked you?” Christian replied, “Because I don’t get to do it at home.”
There are other kids who are sometimes rough and disruptive, and you find out that they have only been in America for a year and feel like they don’t belong, so they feel like they must prove themselves to everyone around them so they can be accepted. There are children who are just children and see “fun” where we see “trouble.” The point is that all children must be loved, even if you have to make yourself love them in spite of what they do. Same applies to people.
It is good to hear that you spend time with this girl, and I really hope you don’t give up on her. I promise you one thing: you may very well change this girl’s life. The children I work with, though very young, still remember vividly the young men that taught them last year, and they miss them dearly. They will miss me too, and it nearly breaks my heart knowing I’ll have to leave them in a couple weeks.”
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Comments (6)
Very moving Jake, I know you’re doing amazing things up there. I miss my best friend though, I want you to come home. So much to talk about before you leave again.
Hey thanks for the post hon. I see where people are coming from when they say she shouldn’t be removed but it isn’t a safe environment for everyone else at the day care while she’s attending. It’s not just being a trouble maker, it’s injuring other children every day. What bothers me the most about it is that my boss isn’t doing much about it. I have never seen a kid with such a horrible behavior problem and it’s not going to go away unless something is done about it.
It sounds like what you are doing is a really great experience and I wish you the best. take care – Tara
Great, hope to see you there!
Sounds like you’re gaining a lot of experience up there. Myself, I just keep adding to my DVD collection, including the stellar Alien Quadrilogy and Indiana Jones Trilogy… That was $80 well spent for both of those. Hopefully, since I should have a roommate with a car and a desire to be social, we might end up in Cedar Falls a little more frequently this year and have some fun with that. Hope your summer is going well, and I’ll talk at you later! Have a great week!
You are right about the situation. Unfortunately, someone who is a daycare provider is not necessarily there because they like kids or want to help them. It’s just a job. That’s not everyone but it’s more then you think. So, what would make the job easier then to get rid of the “troublemaker”?
Yes, that would be you. And I am glad.