A Story to Tell

At the time of this writing, I am off to a Principal’s conference in Ontario. At this Principal’s conference I will be leading a workshop entitled “Keeping the Hope Alive”. The workshop is meant to encourage other principals in their work, and by and large the entire workshop will be spent telling stories about what is happening at ACS, telling stories about people at ACS, and telling stories about what will happen at ACS. In the middle of my planning for this workshop a wonderful story came into my inbox. It was so beautiful, and powerfully moving, and it tells a story better than I ever could … here it is: I am a parent at ACS and I currently teach in the public school in Abbotsford and have had the unique opportunity to have been placed at Alexander Elementary school. As you know, this is a community with incredible needs. As we like to put it: every child has a story. That said I would like to share the story of Ethan. Ethan is 10. He comes from a single-parent home. He really doesn't know who his Dad is, has a bothersome older sister, a distant mom, and gets himself to school on his own every day. He participates in our school breakfast program 3 days a week, and the only lunch he gets is provided by the school lunch program. I'm not sure, but I think he only has one shirt (or, it's his favorite shirt and he only wears it every day...). Ethan is on a designated IEP and has severe learning disabilities. He is self-depreciating, angry, and needs constant affirmation. He wears a mask of confidence, but is completely defeated. He is kind, gentle, and "squishy" on the inside with a tough exterior. This week he spent most work periods crunching up his work or "going to the bathroom" to avoid any kind of task. He has had a lot of playground confrontation this week, as well. On Thursday I was matched with one of your grade 7 students as a part of your service work that ACMS is doing. I sat him beside Ethan. Something wonderful happened. The two boys began a conversation and this grade 7 boy helped Ethan complete his work. Ethan stayed focussed and on-task. Ethan actually finished an assignment! I encouraged the boy to play football outside during the lunch break and he led a great game where my students finally played fair! For the first time since school started, there were no complaints after lunch. Just having the presence of these "cool," older role models changed something inside my students. The kids in Division 1 at Alexander Elementary cannot wait to have your ACMS kids back! The staff-room was a-buzz with positive encouragement after the team left. They were pleased with the quality, compassion, and "Let's just get in there and do this" attitude! What a terrific example of living the mission statement! I write this note to encourage you at ACS. I believe in your vision. As a teacher, I have seen the change that 2 hours in one class can make! As a parent, I am looking forward to conversations with my daughter, praying for our community with our kids, and encouraging a comfortable "stretching of the boundaries of our comfort zone". Keep on "busting-out"! All the effort is worth it. As you can no doubt sense, I can’t help but share this story and others like it with anyone and everyone! ACS has a great story to tell!