More Than A Little Verklempt

One of our students got his GED over the summer so Carla and I went to school today to celebrate with him. Mr. Dan, our principal was there, too. Poor slob, he was there actually working.

My room was in pretty good shape. I never know what I'll come back to when I'm gone for a long time. One of our teachers used my room for summer school cuz he wanted to build soapbox derby cars with the kids for a summer project and my room is the best place for something like that.

Clark, the teacher who used my room, is...how you say in caveman grunts...a guy. Not great in social graces, can be a little dense, a little slow on the uptake. But he's a good guy, don't get me wrong. His nickname is Snackshack. Carla and I gave that to him last fall when he was new and another teacher (who did not get asked back this year)was picking on him. We took him under our wing and told him if anyone was going to pick on him, it was gonna be us. He appreciated that. Over the year, he's grown into the little brother I never had. He borrows money from me (always pays it back), lets me call him names and kick him in the shins when necessary. He seems to enjoy it. He's a pasty white boy with strawberry blond hair. A sturdy German Methodist from Nebraska. What's not to love?

So Clark made a huge mess in my room over the summer. Carla reported back to me. I wasn't worried. I figured if Clark always pays his debts, he'll clean up his mess. Carla also reported to me that Mr. Roberts, one of the facility supervisors that I've known for 10 years, came to school and was worried that Clark wouldn't clean up after himself. Mr. Roberts said something like, "Who's making a mess in Ms. Coil's room and are they going to clean it up before she gets back?"

I just laughed when she told me that. First off, I'm extremely flattered that Mr. Roberts thinks my room was clean to start with! Second, I feel extremely lucky to have someone looking out for me even when I'm not there. This is probably the main reason why I've stayed at this school for so long. I feel loved there, looked after, appreciated. Don hired an office manager a few months ago and she takes care of him, looks after him, nags him when necessary. He grumbles about her sometimes, but deep down he knows having someone like that to work with is priceless. Mr. Roberts gives me a hug every time he sees me and I could feel his hug when I knew he was watching over my room while I was gone.

I got an actual Mr. Roberts hug today when we went to the GED party. It was fun to see some of the boys again, eating cake and ice cream, Doritos, Flaming Hot Cheetos and drinking as many caffeinated, carbonated beverages as they could slam. The boy who got his GED is also a Level 3. This is a high status the kids can attain through consistent positive behaviors. So he can wear a polo shirt and khakis instead of scrubs, have an MP3 player in his room and other privileges. Of course he also has to maintain a high level of responsibility. This is hard to do for many kids.

The party was winding down and I was standing there talking to Dan and Carla when Gary, the GED kid, came over and joined us. He's 18 and taller than me. He says, "I wanted to come over here because whenever I stand next to Ms. Coil in the art room, it always makes me feel like I can have an intelligent conversation." I tell you what, that's about the nicest thing a kid has ever, ever said to me. I got a little verklempt.

Ok, maybe that's the main reason I stay there.