Friday, April 11, 2008

Can't Wait...Conclusion

Earlier in the week I wrote about the opportunity to be an "in school suspension" supervisor. I had the open opportunity to be around two fifth grade boys, who had been in a scuffle the day before, from around 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The boys were not enemies, but had just gotten into a bit of a scuffle the day before, after being laughed at was "the last straw".

This is an awkward age for boys. They are in the middle of childhood and teenager. They know a lot, but they don't know much. They like to joke about big boy things without knowing fully what it actually might mean.

God gave me the open door to tutor, mentor, and minister. I helped with homework. I squeezed in some "how to behave" comments, and I found out a bit about their religious and family background.

One boy kept me on my toes as to when the bathroom breaks were to come. I laughed after the second time. As a person who works by myself, I don't think about a "timed" bathroom break. I had told the boys that at a certain time, each hour, we would go to the restroom. I was busy working when the one boy said, "Isn't it time to go to the bathroom?" Then, the next hour he said, "It is about 10:30, didn't you say we could go to the bathroom then?" He made me smile and laugh throughout the day. Since they didn't get any recess or other special privileges, walking to the bathroom was good enough, like prisoners going outside. Even at the end of the day, he was making sure I knew what time it is so that they could go back and put their books away, before they had to get on the bus, to make sure they didn't miss the bus.

Kids are funny and I enjoyed my day. Thank you, God, for the open door to see the surprises of the day!

The "Can't Wait" day was definitely worth the anticipation!

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