“The soul’s joy lies in doing.”–Percy Bysshe Shelley
Author’s Note: This is the second installment of stories from decades of teaching a wide array of students from grades K-12. It is my hope that by sharing these stories, I will cultivate lessons of compassion, empathy, and understanding.
Bus Ride 🚌
My first two professional years were spent teaching students placed in special education classrooms in a large rural high school that served an entire county in Kentucky. Some of my students faced a two-hour ride each morning and afternoon to get to and from school. Those students rode a “feeder line” out of their hollow, or “holler,” as it was locally pronounced, because the roads were deemed unsafe for school bus passage. The feeder line drove students to the end of the hollow where the students would then board their school bus.
School began at 8:00 and ended at 3:00, and students could begin arriving as early as 7:30. This meant several of my students left their house around 5:30 am and would not arrive home until after 5:00 pm. Additionally, the “holler” roads were often impassable during bad weather. Therefore, there was a high rate of absenteeism among those students, especially during the winter months.
Learning methods 📝
One of those students who rode a feeder line was named “Gladys.” (Name change for privacy) Gladys had been identified as having a lower IQ. Reading and math were not easy for her. It was as if Gladys’ brain was wired to process at a slower pace and needed expanded time to practice and play with whatever new skill she was learning.
However, what worked to Gladys’ advantage was that she was incredibly verbal. When learning something new, most students, after instruction, think through the steps or the words to complete a task, but not Gladys. She would speak through each step and/or say each word aloud as she worked through assignments. It seemed she had to have a conversation with herself in order to learn.
Joy Filled Spirit 😁
What I most appreciated about Gladys, however, was her spirit. She was naturally joyful, but when she learned a new skill, she became highly animated. And her joy was expressed in a loud and eager voice.
“Miss Musick, Miss Musick! Did you hear that? I read that story! Want me to tell you all about it?”
“Miss Musick, Miss Musick! I made change correctly! You think the store will hire me? I’ve always wanted to work at a cash register and push all those buttons!”
“Miss Musick, Miss Musick . . .” she sang out with every microstep of progress she made, a smile wide across her face.
On and on, Gladys would talk from the time she entered the classroom until it was time to go home. On days she was absent, there was a void in the classroom. However, upon Gladys’ return after an absence, her habit of sing-songing my name twice before asking or telling me something seemed to be in overdrive as if she had been saving up all her questions and thoughts to deposit them into the bank of our classroom.
Hope Filled adventure 🚙
I had much hope for Gladys. So much so that I wrote to her parents and invited Gladys to come home with me after school one evening. She had not ventured out much beyond her “holler” except for school, and I wanted her to practice “applying for a job”. Her parents agreed to this as long as it occurred on a school night, so Gladys could ride to school with me the next day.
At the time, I lived with my grandparents, 20 or so minutes from the high school. Talking the entire ride to my grandparents home, I listened as she narrated all of the new things she was seeing for the first time. When we arrived at the house, Gladys declared that I lived in a “mansion,” which gave me pause to consider what type of home she must live in.
Once she met my grandparents and deposited her meager bag in the bedroom where she would sleep, I drove her to the fairly new Huntington Mall. Gladys’ eyes were wide with wonder the entire drive, but when we walked inside the mall, she was beside herself.
A shopping trip like none other 🛍️
Sounds of “Miss Musick, Miss Musick!” followed me everywhere we walked.
While I made a meager salary at that time, I knew I was making more than most of my students’ families brought in. Therefore, when I could afford it, I would get items of genuine needs for my students, such as socks, sanitary supplies, toiletries, and even clothing items. It wasn’t unusual for my grandparents to pitch in. With their help, I was able to get Gladys a couple warmer shirts (She mostly wore t-shirts.) and a warm coat for winter. Plus, a few “fun” items: a packet of hair scrunchies, lip gloss, and a packet of plastic bracelets that were popular at the time.
For dinner, I took her to the Big Loafer–classic teenage food at the time–where Gladys talked more than she ate. After dinner, we practiced walking into stores and asking for job applications. It was the first time I ever noticed Gladys appear sheepish or lacking confidence in her own voice. However, by the end, she could make her request in a clear and competent voice, even asking about interviews.
I took the applications we gathered and made copies at school for my students, including Gladys, in order for them to practice reading and completing job applications. They also rehearsed appropriate ways to respond to interview questions. Not that I expected my students to make the two-hour trip to the Huntington Mall to seek employment. Rather, I wanted them to feel confident enough to apply for nearby jobs once they left high school.
Hopeful application ✍️
Most of my students’ parents did not work; therefore, one of my biggest dreams for my students was that they would ultimately become gainfully employed and feel a sense of pride that comes from hard work. I knew that I was fighting a difficult battle, but students like Gladys, whom I taught for two years, filled me with hope.
Years later, I ran into one of my former co-workers who said that Gladys did indeed have a job at a local convenience store and had saved enough money to buy a used car that someone in her family helped her maintain.
Joy is contagious 🤓
If I close my eyes, I can imagine Gladys’ sing-song voice greeting customers and cheerily chirping her way through each customer’s purchase. Gladys found joy in doing. As a result, her cup of life bubbled and overflowed with contagious delight. One couldn’t help but smile and feel joy when interacting with Gladys.
Finding joy in our day-to-day tasks and the infectious nature of a smile were the two life lessons Gladys modeled. How fortunate was I to be her teacher.
Steph Simply 