For the end of the semester/Christmas, I thought it would be a great idea to take the kids out to a local restaurant, Mi Pueblo, to celebrate. For those of you who don't live in Marion, I'm so sorry for you. This is one of the BEST Mexican restaurants I've ever eaten at...and remember, I've lived abroad :)
The coolest thing in all of this was the amount of support I had in this endeavor. Throughout the semester I had asked students from Indiana Wesleyan University who I knew or that had worked for me, as well as friends and colleagues, to come into the class and spend some time with these great kids. Almost every week, from September until December, someone from the community came in and hung out with us. I know it spoke tremendously to these kids, for at the beginning of each week, inevitably someone would ask, "Who's the visitor of this week, Ms. S?"
A few weeks before Christmas I sent out an email to these people, as well as other friends and family around the US (PA, NJ, NC), asking if they would be willing to support a child at dinner. I was blown away by the generosity.
And so, with much excitement, that next week I made individual invitations for each student and put them in their home-made mail boxes on the shelf in my room. The students entered and I told them I had a surprise for them. I should know that by now, the most exciting thing for a middle schooler includes food--in the moment--so, when I didn't have anything to hand out that would satisfy their ever-hungry bellies, and told them to walk to their mailboxes, they were a bit distraught, to say the least. But I encouraged them to open the notes and told them the plan--the next Thur, them and me, and a few other friends, at Mi Pueblo-for free! I could even offer a ride if they got permission...
I wasn't expecting everyone to jump up and down and praise me as the best Teacher. But I also wasn't expecting them to groan and say that this was the dumbest surprise. To be honest--I was a bit taken aback...I took a deep breath and then remembered that for most of them, their bark was bigger than their bite. But I still wondered if anyone would show for dinner.
The days passed and I kept talking it up. Most kids were fairly indifferent, and a few said they would come if another kid would come.
As 6pm rolled around I was a bit nervous. Kara and Kristi came to the dinner with me and I wondered if it would just be the three of us. But by 6:15 seven students had shown up. I was thrilled. I was thankful. I felt blessed. They chose to spend their evening with us. Wow.
We spent an hour or so eating and then decided to play a game. Thankfully, being around Kara and Lynette for the past few years has taught me to always be prepared, especially when it comes to using free time for games, so I had scrabble cards in my purse. The girls challenged the boys to a game and emerged victorious.
At the end of the evening, as parents were collecting their kids, a few others asked if I could take them home. After getting permission (this is 2010 people), another friend and I drove them back to their house. I walked them up to their front door and one of them smiled at me. “Thanks Ms. S. I had a lot of fun. You take care now. Ok?”
I almost died.
(Thanks to those of you who loved so well, so tangibly. We are blessed by you!)
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