Here’s a short message for kids and parents everywhere. Things don’t always happen the way they’re supposed to. Let me explain.
I recently stopped for a school bus. That’s not big news. It is an example of things happening the way they should. I was facing the bus and could see past it, noticing that the cars behind it had also stopped exactly as they should.
The lights flashed, the stop sign on the bus opened, and the safety arm across the front of the bus swung wide.
Four or five kids got off the bus. They ranged in size from tiny ones with outsized backpacks to some older ones. They came around the front of the bus. So far, so good.
Some ran, some walked in front of the bus and across the highway.
When they started across my lane, I started yelling at them even though there was no way they could hear me. They didn’t stop or even pause to look up and down the road. Fortunately, everything was working the way it should. Well, almost everything. I think the kids were supposed to look both ways.
Safety shouldn’t be delegrated; it should be shared.
“Mr. Boomsma”
Sometimes, things don’t work the way they should. I can think of several ways that might have been the case. Several days later, there was a headline from a distant state where someone didn’t stop for a school bus, and a child was injured.
If we want kids to feel and be safe, we need to involve them. It wouldn’t be so bad for them to learn they have some responsibility for staying safe. A few seconds long pause to look up and down the road is just plain smart.
At the start of the school year, perhaps parents should meet the bus and ensure the kids do. I’d be happy if the bus driver kept the window open told the kids to stop and look–at least until they got into the habit. It’s been a few years since I’ve attended a school bus safety program, but I’d be thrilled if crossing in front of the bus was part of that curriculum. Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
I just have to share this story. As many know, I am the program director for Valley Grange of Guilford. One of the projects I get to enjoy is Words for Thirds–the Dictionary Project. The project involves visiting third-grade classrooms in the area to present students with their very own dictionaries. I’m not always sure who has the most fun–me or the kids!
To appreciate a recent event at SeDoMoCha, it will help to explain that I demonstrate how a shepherd’s hook is used. We then talk about how anyone can become a leader. To achieve the demonstration, I select a student to assist by pretending to be my sheep. Once they’re upfront, I ask them to please try to look fuzzy. This usually results in blank looks from my volunteers, but not so with my sheep at SeDoMoCha.
I suppose this is a “you had to be there” story, but my young volunteer wordlessly reached up and undid her ponytails, then flipped her head from side to side, “fluffing” up her hair with her hands so it covered her neck and shoulders. After serving as my sheep, she put herself “back together,” also without comment. She may have a future as an actress or a hairdresser. She certainly has an ability to “think on her feet!”
The experience reminded me of another one a few years ago–I think it was in Brownville. My selected volunteer had a propensity for accuracy. I brought him upfront and said something like, “So if Johnny here is a sheep…”
He interrupted and said, “I’d actually be a ram.”
Since yesterday’s sheep didn’t say anything, I won’t observe that “Kids say the darnedest things.” But we might all be reminded that it is too easy to underestimate kids. Hang around with them and let yourself be impressed.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Substitute Teacher Workshop scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until October 5, 2023. Spruce Mountain Adult Ed will be in touch with registered students. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Actually, there is no direct connection between Kauffman Orchards and B… and if this photo looks a little blurry, understand it was taken from a moving horse and buggy!
During a recent visit to Central Pennsylvania, I decided to revisit one young friend (“B”) I’d talked to last summer. She told me then she had just decided to stay with the Amish Faith and shared some of her thoughts and reasons. I was quite literally “blown away” by her honesty and thinking. We even discussed some of the difficulties she anticipated. When the conversation ended, she said how wonderful it was that we had learned from each other.
I didn’t see her working at the farmstand this year, but I mentioned her to the older Amish gentleman who collected for my purchases. He smiled some, jerked a thumb over this shoulder, and said, “She’s in the back peeling peaches. You should go talk to her.”
I felt oddly honored that I was allowed through the “employees only” door. I found her making short work of peeling and cutting up a huge basket of peaches.
I was not disappointed. She remembered me and was only too happy to share some updates. We actually had quite a discussion about “social media.” She has a phone because, in addition to working at her family’s farm stand, she has started her own business. She explained how she uses the phone and how she doesn’t. Prior to baptism and joining, she used the phone freely, but she also saw how using the phone impacted her. I agreed with her and found myself a bit jealous of her achievement. In so many words, we agreed that it’s important to think about how things impact us.
It wouldn’t be accurate to say she’s a lucky girl because I’m not sure luck is involved. She is taking full responsibility for her choices and the consequences of them. She’s a critical thinker–I noticed that last year. She made the point then that choosing to remain Amish would not be based on the things she is giving up. She is staying Amish for what she will gain.
I’ve noticed that conversations about the Amish typically drift to what they don’t have or accept. “They don’t have electricity.” {That’s only partially true. ) “They don’t drive cars; they have to use horses and buggies.” (Again a partial truth.) We seem to make it sound like being Amish is all about giving things up and following rules.
B doesn’t see it that way. She is not a victim of being Amish. She chooses not to sit at home and play computer games on her phone. She is choosing her way of life. We talked a lot about who we are and who we will become, and how life is a journey and process. She also knows what she doesn’t know.
Gellasenheit! (Ironically, when I used that word with her last year, she didn’t know the meaning. She found it interesting and amusing that she was learning an Amish way of thinking from an Englischer.
B continues to work at the family farmstand. Since last year she’s also started her own successful business. She somewhat shyly shared that she’s “in a relationship.” I teased, “So next year you’ll be married and I won’t find you here.” Her reply was straight to the point, “Oh, I doubt that!” Later, I wished I’d clarified. She might have meant she’d probably be married but still at the family farm stand. One thing for sure, she’ll have made her decisions thoughtfully.
I didn’t ask, but if I were to guess she’s in her late teens. Most Amish join the church between the ages of 18 and 21.
In the Amish world, she is NOT an exception. I could share other stories and examples. She finished the peaches while we talked. I can handle that sort of multitasking. I am challenged to talk with someone who is also typing on their smartphone.
I am proud, honored, and blessed to know her.
Walter Boomsma (“Mr. Boomsma”) writes on a wide array of topics including personal development, teaching and learning. Course information is also available here!
