Then I get it. Oh, no.

No, no, no.

“Sorry, wrong Emmie!” I grab Devontae’s arm and spin my chair around. “Come on—we playing ball or what?”

Devontae looks from the lady to me. “But, who—”

“C’mon!” I hiss. But it’s too late. The lady looks, if possible, even more excited.

“I’m your new educational aide!”

This isn’t happening.

“We have all day to start getting to know each other!”

I suddenly, desperately, wish for a supercharger strong enough to launch my wheels—and me—through the front door. Or the wall. Or anywhere but here.

“It’ll be so much fun!”

Not even 8 a.m., and I’ve already heard the biggest joke of my whole day.

10

We All Fall Down

FROM: Tatiana Hernandez, EdM, Office of Exceptional Children

TO: Alan Ethrige

RE: Emelyn Ethrige’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Dear Mr. Ethrige:

I am writing to recap our very productive team meeting regarding Emelyn’s emergent needs at school. As we all know, Emelyn is well known to the Barndale County School District 3 family as a dynamic, determined, and energetic girl and has long inspired the entire community.

New school years can bring new barriers and may require different programming for our special students. Emelyn’s recent fall, even with adaptive architecture in place, as well as acting out toward a fellow student, has flagged a team recommendation to consider additional supports at this time. Based upon our team meeting, the following adjustments to Emelyn’s individual student plan are proposed:

1. Emelyn will be evaluated for potential reentry into the BCSD3 Program for Exceptional Needs, to assess further need for supports such as physical therapy, safety-awareness training, etc.
2. Emelyn will refrain from risky behavior while negotiating school-based settings and architecture (unnecessary wheelies, excessive speed in hallways, reckless behavior on ramps, etc.), in order to minimize risk to herself or others.
3. Emelyn will be assigned a one-on-one aide at school, in order to ensure her personal safety, assist her with physical tasks as needed, and offer strategies to help Emelyn find appropriate methods for expressing frustration.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about these proposals. We the team feel confident that, with the appropriate assistance and guidance, Emelyn will have a successful year!

Go Swamp Foxes!

Sincerely,

Tatiana Hernandez

Tatiana Hernandez, EdM

Program Coordinator, Office of Exceptional Children

Dr. Bruce Grayling

Dr. Bruce Grayling, MA, EdD

Principal

11

A Big Fat Train Wreck

I can’t believe this.

Our county’s one of the poorest in the state. Teachers buy their own printer paper and art supplies. Heck, our school has a few toilets that’ve been busted so long the janitors could just plant flowers in them and call it a day.

But less than seventy-two hours after that meeting they’ve managed to hire an official, full-time Emmie Sitter.

By the time she checks in at the office and gets a copy of my daily schedule from the secretary, I can tell this lady—Dawn Wanamaker—is a first-time aide. “Okay. So … where’s your first class?” She sounds suddenly nervous, like I might ask her to carry me there on her back.