In thinking about my 30 years with Denver Public Schools, so many memories flooded back into my mind, it was difficult to select just one. It seemed as though I just started my career in 1971 and then “boom” it was 2001 and retirement was the plan.
In the first year, I giggle when I think of the students who artfully and totally undected rearranged the letters on my bulletin board to spell out a rather unacceptable word – or when the science teacher, Dave DeLapp who kept us all on our toes and with great humor, had his students come to my class with live mice taped inside paper towel cartons to let them loose in the classroom to cause what might be termed a “classic” major interruption in classroom learning. For those of you who might say “this was my tax dollars at work” – it was this kind of activity that kept us “all sane” through some very challenging years and built friendships that continue to this day.
Or the time, my class was making stuffed animals for their sewing project and the principal came in and asked how the “animals” were – He was referring to the stuffed animals and I thought he meant the students – oops!!!!
Or the other time when the new principal came waltzing through the home economics room while we were baking chocolate chip cookies as part of the Bulldog Restaurant program. Of course, wanting to impress the new principal, offered him a cookie and as he bit into the warm, gooey mass of chocolate, this awful expression came into his eyes. Unbeknown to me, someone had substituted salt for sugar. He kept me employed anyway.
And then there was Joe. It was my responsibility to serve principal’s breakfast when they came to Kunsmiller for their meetings. I selected students to help me and for one breakfast I asked Joe if he would like to help serve the breakfast. After school, Joe came in to see me and he said “Are you sure you want to pick me? I have never been picked for anything before.” While holding back my tears, I assured him I absolutely needed him and only him to help serve that breakfast. He left with a huge smile on his face.
I tried over all the years to remember the “Joe’s” – the ones who don’t always win, or who are not selected or who are not recognized. We have the power to “make” or “break” a student – I would like to think we spent our time helping each and every student believe in themselves and to love themselves enough to be successful regardless of what obstacles they needed to overcome.
Nancy Evans King