Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: PRESENT (07/16/20)
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TITLE: Dodge City, Kansas | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
07/17/20 -
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But KellyAnn loved Hayes. She loved her present working conditions, her students, her home, her friends. Why did she need to move?
Opportunity.
That’s what everyone was telling her. A bigger school, more students, more opportunity to advance. But, did she want to advance? Did she want more students?
It was too late now. She had arrived in Dodge City six days ago. Today she found herself sitting behind a desk anticipating her new class of students. Eighteen students from grades one to six. How was she going to accomplish this? Her school in Hayes consisted of 10 students and she felt like that was a handful. But eighteen!
A Scripture she had memorized years ago from Philippians popped into her heart. “I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.” Yes, she could do this because Christ would be her strength.
One-by-one her students arrived. She smiled as each one took their desk, a look of curiosity coming from her students faces as they observed their new twenty-six year old teacher. Some actually said good-morning. Some frowned at her.
“Hmmm” thought KellyAnn. “ I wonder why the frown?” These were the ones she would have to keep her eye on. They could be the trouble-makers of the class.
When all the students had taken their seat KellyAnn introduced herself.
“Good morning class. I’m happy to meet each one of you. I look forward to getting to know all of you better. One way for me to do this is by calling roll-call. As I call your name, please indicate your presence.”
“Michael?”
“Here.”
“Georgie?”
“Present.”
“Ralph?”
“Yah, I’m here.”
“Sallie?”
“Good morning Miss KellyAnn.”
KellyAnn smiled at the sweet way Sallie said her name. She continued the roll-call until all had been identified as present.
KellyAnn learned to love this group of ten girls and eight boys. They challenged her greatly during the year. Especially her three-sixth grade boys. Like the time they put a frog in her desk drawer. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she opened the drawer and this tiny creature jumped out at her. Of course the class howled with laughter, and after the initial shock of a frog sitting in her lap, she laughed with them.
Or the time these same boys hid the chalk and eraser. KellyAnn spent an hour trying to find them so she could continue with her lessons. Everyone claimed innocence until she spotted some chalk dust on the hands of Georgie. Standing over him, hands on hips, she made him open his desk-top.
What do you know? There among his books and papers were three pieces of chalk and an eraser. Georgie received the honor of staying after class and writing, ‘I will not hide the chalk again,’ fifty times on the blackboard, then was instructed to wash and clean the board.
But, KellyAnn loved her class and they all loved her. The year went by quickly and before she knew it the school year was over. She would miss her sixth graders as they would not be returning next year. Even her trouble-makers found a special place in KellyAnns’ heart.
On closing day KellyAnn had a little surprise planned for her class. She was going to give them each a small bag of sweets as a way to remember their year together. She lovingly placed each little bag on the desk. When her students arrived it would be the first thing they would see. She loved surprises and knew her students would love this. Who doesn’t like a sweet-treat?
An excited group of students arrived on this last day. They devoured the bag of sweets. Georgie was the last to walk through the door. In his hand was a large bouquet of hand-picked flowers. He walked up to KellyAnn and handed them to her. Shyly he said, “Teacher, our class wants to give you these flowers as a present for all you have done for us this past year. You have been the best teacher we ever had.”
Moved to tears, KellyAnn hugged each child personally and whispered a heart-felt “thank you” in their ear.
KellyAnn loved Dodge City, Kansas.
Scripture is Philippians 4:13, King James Version
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