Aren't they adorable?We talked about different kinds of families,
feelings, and achieving our dreams.
feelings, and achieving our dreams.
After my interview, I decided to stop by Wright Elementary school. I had spoken to guidance counselor Tim Frazier about implementing a program for children of divorce several years ago. While that never did pan out, I worked with students on a one-on-one basis. I returned to the school as Mrs. Oklahoma, hoping to establish a program for children of divorce. Principal McCain kindly gave of her time when there didn't seem to be any, and we are in the beginning stages of establishing an after-school chapter of Banana Splits.
While waiting for Mrs. McCain, two little girls saw me in the office. "Are you a real princess?" they asked. I responded, "Well, I'm not a princess per se, but I am Mrs. Oklahoma. That's kind of like being a princess from Oklahoma." "Where's your crown?" one little girl asked, and I said, "It's in my car. Do you think I should go get it?" They gave me an enthusiastic yes! I ran out to my car and grabbed my crown box. When I returned to the office, Denise, the school nurse, escorted me to Mrs. Frazier's kindergarten classroom, where I finally showed them my crown. They passed it around the room, and I gave an imprompty presentation about their families and their feelings, and what it is like to be Mrs. Oklahoma.
Then it was time for them to return to their school work, and I met with Mrs. McCain about Banana Splits. She shared her concerns: We would not take away from academic learning time to initiate another program. I agree with this wholeheartedly. As an educator myself, I know the students need to learn the basics of math, science, social studies, and English and that should be the school's number one priority. Still, I explained that the family lives of these children are affecting their ability to meet their academic potential. Children of divorce are distracted by their lives at home, and are more likely to act out, have learning difficulties, struggle with concentration, or have some other physical manifestation of anxiety, such as stomach aches, bed wetting, or hair pulling. Situationally, I've known one child who couldn't concentrate because she was worried about her mom. I know a young boy who started wetting himself at school. He was made fun of because he smelled bad, and he had to wear clothes from the lost and found. One of my sisters rebelled and the other began pulling out her hair. It doesn't have to be this way. We can help these children by teaching them ways to properly handle negative emotions. We can give them age-appropriate coping skills where they are right now.
I explained this to Mrs. McCain and we talked about ways to meet this need without taking away classroom time. I would lead a Banana Splits chapter at Wright in the after care program. Most children from single parent homes were already in after care, so it seemed to be the perfect place to start.
I'm excited about the opportunity to help children at Wright. Out of all of the children in Mrs. Frazier's kindergarten class, only three came from intact families. Please remember that commonality does not equal easy, especially for children that don't have the added perspective of years of experience. The time to help children of divorce is now. I am grateful to Mrs. McCain and mr. Frazier for the opportunity.
While waiting for Mrs. McCain, two little girls saw me in the office. "Are you a real princess?" they asked. I responded, "Well, I'm not a princess per se, but I am Mrs. Oklahoma. That's kind of like being a princess from Oklahoma." "Where's your crown?" one little girl asked, and I said, "It's in my car. Do you think I should go get it?" They gave me an enthusiastic yes! I ran out to my car and grabbed my crown box. When I returned to the office, Denise, the school nurse, escorted me to Mrs. Frazier's kindergarten classroom, where I finally showed them my crown. They passed it around the room, and I gave an imprompty presentation about their families and their feelings, and what it is like to be Mrs. Oklahoma.
Then it was time for them to return to their school work, and I met with Mrs. McCain about Banana Splits. She shared her concerns: We would not take away from academic learning time to initiate another program. I agree with this wholeheartedly. As an educator myself, I know the students need to learn the basics of math, science, social studies, and English and that should be the school's number one priority. Still, I explained that the family lives of these children are affecting their ability to meet their academic potential. Children of divorce are distracted by their lives at home, and are more likely to act out, have learning difficulties, struggle with concentration, or have some other physical manifestation of anxiety, such as stomach aches, bed wetting, or hair pulling. Situationally, I've known one child who couldn't concentrate because she was worried about her mom. I know a young boy who started wetting himself at school. He was made fun of because he smelled bad, and he had to wear clothes from the lost and found. One of my sisters rebelled and the other began pulling out her hair. It doesn't have to be this way. We can help these children by teaching them ways to properly handle negative emotions. We can give them age-appropriate coping skills where they are right now.
I explained this to Mrs. McCain and we talked about ways to meet this need without taking away classroom time. I would lead a Banana Splits chapter at Wright in the after care program. Most children from single parent homes were already in after care, so it seemed to be the perfect place to start.
I'm excited about the opportunity to help children at Wright. Out of all of the children in Mrs. Frazier's kindergarten class, only three came from intact families. Please remember that commonality does not equal easy, especially for children that don't have the added perspective of years of experience. The time to help children of divorce is now. I am grateful to Mrs. McCain and mr. Frazier for the opportunity.
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