And the winner is...

On the door of my granddaughter’s second grade class there were two photos. “Students of the Week” the caption proudly announced.

When in Kindergarten my granddaughter would come home and tell us that she was the student of the week. We’d check her class for her photo only to find that she had made this up.

Her picture never went up. She was a talker and would get carried away in class. She was also a talker at home. It was a hard road trying to get her to talk at the proper time without stifling her desire to communicate.

Feeling bad that my granddaughter was so affected by this school practice I began to think about the kids I knew who would never have made that mark.

There was Elise, who’s mother had died and her father sent her to school in blouses so sheer that everyone could see through. He didn’t mean anything by dressing her this way he just had no idea of how to dress a child. Kids teased her so badly she was always angry.

Then there was Ed whose father was a drunk and beat him. Ed had a chip so big on his shoulder he walked with a limp. There was Cindy who’s father molested her. She was always tired from staying awake at night watching the door to her bedroom never knowing if the lock worked or not.

Of course as I have stated in the past I was the bully of the school and was fortunate enough to have been shown kindness by Mr. Silverman the vice principal. That kindness made me feel so special it wiped away all of the mean things that were ever said to me.


If not for Mr. Silverman’s kindness, the tickets might have gone to a “child of the Month.” Thankfully we did not have such a program; I don’t know how it would have affected me.

Maybe we can’t be giving circus tickets or even the Purple Heart for bravery under fire for those who are beaten, abused and neglected. Children who come from happy homes with parental support in what ever they endeavor, are already getting a reward. Making them child of the month becomes redundant.

Teachers may never know what adversities some of their students face. Praise them all not just a few. Don’t make them fight another battle that they can’t win. It may be that one act of kindness that brightens up the rest of someone’s life.