TheApple

 When I was a little boy (a million years ago) I didn't want to go to kindergarten. As a matter of fact, my mother sat in the principal's office for the first six weeks...while I was crying. I guess Moms do that...at least mine did. :)

When I was young my mother had a striking resembelence to Jacqueline Kennedy which mom made the most of. I was in fifth grade when President Kennedy was assassinated and my class, like many others, wrote letters to Mrs. Kennedy and the Kennedy children. A few weeks later my mother came to school in the middle of the day to pick me up for a medical appointment. School secutiry was non-existent in those days and she came right to the classroom. I had my head burried in a book and I didn't even look up as everyone else in the class got excited thinking the Mrs. Kennedy had come to visit the letter-writers.

....This is an after Mother's day story that I just felt like sharing.

Last night, a student came in, eyes still wet from crying and said, "Teacher, my house burned down. I lost everything on Mother's Day!!"  As I got up to give her a hug, she added:

"I just came to tell you that I can't come to class because I don't have anything to wear except this"  she said pointing at her sweatshirt.

It was a really unfortunate thing.   She's an older student (one of my favorites) . She moved in with her son and his family and her biggest worry is that she'll be a burden to her children.

Actually, I  referred her to some relief aid specifically for fire victims in our area. (Since the recent California wildfires there seems to be quite a lot of places set up just for that). I also referred her to the nearest financial aid office.  I  talked to our principal  and asked if he could better refer her since he also lost his home in a fire. (approx.3yrs ago) and he did along with the school counselor who seems to be quite a bit more knowledgeable on this. Another reason I wanted her to talk to the principal is because a teacher who thought she had lost her home in the recent wild fires, (*read story below) told me that during this time,  the principal offered her a tremendous amount of help.  I also recommended my church...since they have free thrift shop. I would like to do more any ideas?  I'd like to set up a donation box but I need to see how she feels about it. Thanks for the idea. Last night, I also contacted local news sites via email...so far, no response. I really haven't done enough but...

I'm open to any more ideas.

*During the recent fires in Ramona, many people living on a mountain were forced to evacuate their homes.  After several days of staying with family and friends, this teacher was anxious to know if her house survived the fires. Her husband was finally able to talk to a neighbor whose home was positioned higher on the hill. He asked the neighbor if their house was still standing and described the house including the white picket fence.  When the neighbor looked down the hill he saw only the picket fence and told this to her husband. It was with a heavy heart that her husband told her that they had lost their dream home. (They had both been in retirement less than a six months!)  So now they rent an apartment and live in it for about a week when they are finally allowed to return to sort through the leftovers.                Imagine their surprise when they found their house still standing. The neighbor had mistaken their house for another one that also had a white picket fence.  The fire didn't even touch their house, but most of the other houses were burned down to the ground.The wall at the edge of their driveway was singed very little but nothing major.

(However, 3 teachers at our site really did lose their homes)