Aunt Sally Updates

So, I get a call yesterday from my Aunt Sally partner saying we needed to get Aunt Sally out of my old room.


Say what? Really?


Yes, principal barked this order to my partner in passing.  What happened to all the support we got for Aunt Sally from her?  This boils down to yet another administrator NOT walking the talk.  Yuck.  Ho Hum.  Nothing new.


Nevertheless, it still hurts.  It sucks.  It is just plain wrong.


It is wrong that my replacement was allowed to kill the gifts of Aunt Sally.  It is wrong that the building administrator was not strong enough to encourage the continued use of Aunt Sally.  It is wrong that the administrator did not encourage my replacement's replacement to use Aunt Sally and to develop her own program based on what had been working instead of telling her to continue on as my original replacement had.


Nothing good came from my room last year.


But, time marches on, I have a new job, new focus, new opportunity to expose future teachers to all the great experiences I have had, how to reach kids in crisis, how to be effective.


I went to sleep last night feeling very sad for Aunt Sally.  Feeling that the greatest thing I have done as a teacher was not strong enough to stay alive in my building once I was gone.


All hope is not lost!  We have looms up in other EBD rooms and they are enjoying great success.  And then I get the email that lifts the grief, that renews my hope, that is a great smack down to principal with now spine, no sense of how to lead.


One of the middle school teachers wants a loom!  She is excited and when she told a student I had two years ago and who greatly benefitted from the loom, he lit up and got all excited!  He celebrated!  He is now looking forward to this school year!  His foster parents are ecstatic!


So my partner and I are going to rescue another loom this week,  get Aunt Sally set up in the art room, and keep the dream alive.


Because kids in crisis, kids in worlds of hurt, kids in need of tools to help them self-regulate need this.


Amazing Grace.