Lessons Learned

360 + 5 = Miracle Five days does not seen like a lot. The 5 days plus 360 days that went before are tremendous when the child is only seven years old. Sometimes we just don’t know when the miracle will happen. Sometimes the miracle is waiting inside a silent little boy. 365 school days ago, we met a little kindergarten boy. A shy little boy walked into his caring teacher’s classroom. He was part of a kindergarten set of brothers. A little boy did not talk. He sometimes would become so overwhelmed that he would shut down. His caring teacher kept encouraging this boy’s little soul. 185 school days ago, the little silent boy met his thoughtful teacher. A thoughtful teacher collaborated with a team of dedicated people who saw the special child inside the silent boy. The occupational therapist nurtured him by helping with his sensory needs. She made him a special weighted vest with a sheriff’s badge. With his vest and cowboy boots, he was a real treat to watch walking 1 do...

Dear Richard, On the day you were born, I was more scared then a winter rabbit looking a coyote in the eye. The overwhelming responsibility in being a father scared the daylight out of me. So on the first day we met, I made you a simple promise. My promise can be found in your name. You are the third Richard Oxley and my promise was to guide you to become a man of character like your Grandfather. The following are the traits I learned from Grandpa that I see in you. Love your Wife: Grandpa always puts Grandma first. I see this in you by the way you treat your mom. You are always respectful and helpful. You look out for her. How a boy treats his mom is how he will treat his wife. Family First: Grandpa was always there for his family. He attended every event in which his kids participated. He made sure his family always had what they needed. I can always count on you to be there. A Loyal Friend: Grandpa's friends are friends for life....

You Have My Word We fed the kindergartner his breakfast because he refused to eat at home. In first grade his behavior escalated to become injurious to himself and others. He broke his teachers glasses and tried to run across a six lane highway during rush hour. The lost boy was hurting because his mom was incarcerated and his dad was nowhere to be found. In spite of limited academic support at home, he was a learner. His teachers guided his learning and the young boy was a first grade reader and would continue to be a learner throughout his elementary school years. He was a loyal friend and his classmates loved him. For six years, including a year of residential treatment, extraordinary caring educators guided a socially maladjusted hurting child to connect to his heart. Lessons taught about using words and asking for help decreased his injurious and insubordinate behavior. He became a school leader. Then it happened, the anger returned and the principal...

“A Learning Heart” Six years ago, a little girl sat crisscross applesauce in her kindergarten classroom. Her teacher softly said the names of her classmates so she could repeat them. You could see the determination in her sweet eyes as she played the name game with the principal. My young friend is a miracle. At a very tender age, she received life-saving treatment to persevere and recover from cancer. The treatment to save her life impacted her developing cognition and would make learning a challenge. Her life was saved because she is a miracle. Tests can measure a child’s academic progress, but no test can measure a child’s heart for learning. Heart is what a child shows you; heart is what we observe. If a child’s heart could be measured in percentile points this young girl would be the 100 th percentile. She has the greatest heart for learning. You see her heart in a constant positive attitude. Learning is never easy, but you won’t know looking at my friend learn. She acce...

AD-HD: The Rules My brain is like an old eight track tape player that constantly shifts from song to song. I enjoy the fact that as I type this essay that I am thinking about the trellis I am building, the calls I need to make at work, and how I can find time to see to gold-wing warbler at High Banks. I never could understand why everyone wouldn’t want the advance mental state we call AD-HD. I like my brain, but it does drive others crazy. I am impulsive, can’t sit still, constantly talking (not as much as my brother), and I loose items. My office, my workbench, and my car are a mess. My school was broken into a few years ago and the police stated my office was ransacked. I had to explain no it always looks this way. AD-HD is more of a problem for others then those of us with this advance mental state. I think that it is important to offer the “Rules of AD-HD” in case others who would like to evolve to a higher level of brain function: The “Popeye Rule”...