Students have the “joy” of completing make-up standardized testing with me, and although that’s not usually a fun task, I just had a student walk in and say he didn’t care about doing it because “this is the best room in the whole school!”
This past week, I had a new 8th grader start at West. He was so nervous and anxious, and the moment he saw Ken, he lit up, and the walls that he had up came crumbling down. Jen brought Ken in to meet him, and our conversations centered around Ken for most of the day. The next day of school, the first thing he asked me was, “Where is Ken?”
We have a student who used to miss a lot of school and come in late often. She loves Ken and Jen has enlisted her support every morning to brush Ken and fill up his water bowl. Her attendance has improved and she is no longer late.
Jen stands outside with Ken when the buses are pulling in each morning, and she watches the students’ faces change through the bus windows once they see Ken. She sees sleepy faces burst into big smiles as they see Ken standing there. It is sort of like this all day. As soon as a staff member or a student sees him, their mood is instantly transformed to one of joy and happiness. Then, when Ken showers them with his attention, nothing else exists, and the smile never leaves their face.
Last year, I wrote and received a grant to travel to each of the elementary schools and perform a one-hour Chemistry Magic Show for each of the district’s fourth-grade classes. This is a Franklin Institute-style show designed to generate excitement and curiosity for science among elementary students. Among the demonstrations were those including liquid nitrogen, dry ice, and a Van de Graff Generator, all provided through the grant I received from PV Foundation. THANK YOU!!!
The show was a great success last year, and I have already been contacted by and scheduled dates to return this year to three of the four elementary schools!
“I really like it because it calms me down and makes me happy.”
“There are lots of things to do. It’s the GOAT!”
“It’s awesome because I like how it feels and it makes me feel good!”
“JO uses the sensory wall on the first floor. Every time he has a break, we go on a walk and stop by the wall. JO really enjoys having the privilege to have this sensory wall. He likes it so much that I can barely get him back to class!”