Is It Contagious?

A first-grade boy bites a sixth-graders finger. It breaks the skin. The older boy is okay with that; I'm not.

I tell the younger boy, “There are two reasons we don’t do that. One, people just don’t go around biting people. Two, your mouth is a germy place. You can cause bad infections.” Then thinking about universal precautions, I add, “If you had HIV, you could give it to your friend.”

The firstgrader's brows knit together for a moment in thought, then he offers helpfully, “Well, I do have dust allergies.”

The Turning Point

This morning we’ve had a grand excursion. All 310 students and teachers and staff walked to the new school several blocks away from our current site. We knelt on the dusty, mid-construction, concrete floors of our classrooms, music rooms, gym, and offices. There on the floor, each individual wrote their favorite Bible verse.

In a few weeks, these precious promises of strength and protection will be covered with carpet and tile and wood. But we will know what’s there, invisible yet present.

Next week we will dip our hands in paint and leave our indelible prints on the walls of the old school. There is a sadness and a joy in leaving one home for another.

[For the “new school” story in pictures, click on the link to “Our New School”. All blogs below this occurred in the old building. All blogs above are set in the new school.]

Good Advice

A fifth- and sixth-grade class created bookmarks to send to El Salvador. They were to draw a picture, quote a Bible text or put on some kind of saying. One child did all three.

There was the picture: a monkey.
There was the saying: “Don’t monkey around.”
There was the Bible passage: the seventh commandment!

Morning Question

Every morning I give announcements over the PA. Each day I ask a question students can answer for “Rogers Dollars.” As I visit a first- and second-grade classroom, a boy suggests a morning announcements question to ask.

With a big smile he enthusiastically says, “Ask them ‘How many teeth are in a dog’s mouth?’”

It’s not unusual for students to suggest questions knowing they’ll be able to answer them and earn easy money. I’m glad this boy knows about dogs, so I ask, “How many teeth are in a dog’s mouth?”

He grins expectantly and says, “I haven’t got a clue!”