Devan was referred to our special education classroom because of behavior issues and lack of knowledge for most of the alphabet. When I first saw Devan I didn't know what to expect. He looks like a normal sized first grader except for his rather large head and huge, round eyes. A few minutes with Devan though, and one can tell that his mind is going a mile a minute. His eyes are constantly darting, focusing from one thing to the next. His limbs flail persistently, and his speech is often difficult to understand due to a large overbite.

Devan has had a difficult time following the rules of school. It hasn't been easy on anyone this year, as our classroom has had and lost two teachers by December's end. We have found through observation and experience that Devan needs a constant routine. Devan needs frequent breaks and time to run out his energy. Devan needs people he can rely on to be there, or his day ends badly. I have been a part of many bad ended days.

One day Devan had it in his head that he had to get on the bus with the other kids in his class who are bussed to another building for K-2 lasses. Devan's regular schedule was to stay in our classroom for two hours, then get bussed to his regular classroom. I stopped Devan at the door and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't have any of it. He was set on getting out the door and now! He tried to run away from me but I caught him, only to get my arm pinched so hard it made me actually cry tears of pain. I ended up picking Devan up and carrying him down two hallways to the office, getting pinched and kicked the whole way. Devan was sent home and I watched my bruises heal over the next few days.

The next incident I had with Devan was less physical on me at least. He is a child with a short fuse and one day that fuse was lit when he didn't want to follow the rules his peers had to follow. Devan began throwing things around, telling me to "shut up", etc., but when he went towards another student with his fists raised, I had to grab him. He was angry and attempted to pinch me, but must have remembered hurting me previously, and decided not to. I couldn't get Devan to sit in time out with the timer; I couldn't get him to be still at all. Our principal was close by and took Devan to call his mother. We all had a meeting with mom when she got there, and Devan seemed to be very remorseful.

The next day I had Devan, he presented me with a note. It was written in his little chicken-scratch, saying something about being sorry for being bad. On the bottom of the paper he signed it "Love, Devan." I love that note, and I know that he really meant it. I think I'll keep it for a few years (or more).

- JoAnne Harden



This second quarter of my AmeriCorps service period has been a lot different than the first. My routine is fairly structured and I know the staff and children better. It is easier to deal with each child when I know how they respond to certain things. Every child is different, their behaviors vary and you have to find a way to reach each child. My great story is about a three-year old girl in the a.m. class. She is a small girl, cute as a button, but not always as innocent as she looks. She likes to argue with the other kids, she's the kind of kid who says it's raining when it's actually sunny and blue skies. She doesn't take authority well nor instruction.

She started to do this thing with her eyes, where she would open them up really wide and stare at you, with a frown. This intimidated the other children, and we tried not to acknowledge it when it was directed at us. During lunch one day she did this to me, I decided to do it back, just to use some reverse psychology. She busted into a smile when I did this. She then went on to say," My mom does that to me too".

I was relieved to find that this wasn't an act of rebellion, or a form of dislike. She was rather trying to play a game, and we had all overlooked her intentions. After this we began to see a break through and she was more polite and participated more. Once we could understand her more, we were able to connect with her. I am relieved that this misunderstanding didn't last long. Every child has their own personality and own sense of humor. It is really all about how you approach them, and how you learn to interact with each personality. Understanding a child, and figuring them out not only helps you, and the classroom, but it helps the child to feel more welcome, safe, and accepted for who they are. I find it easier to help a child by listening and giving them different options on how to do things, rather than to just say "No" or "Stop" . If you don't give a child a reason to why they "can't" do something than they don't understand. You need to back up your words with reasons, and explain them so they can see the point.

- Sarah Nordstrom



For my great story there are two students that stick out in my mind. Both of these students I have developed a positive relationship with. Its always a pleasure to see them around school and chat with them about how their life is going. One student was new to the U.P. this year while the other has lived in the area for many years. Both are very respectful, good-natured individuals. One is rather quiet when dealing with the other students. Many times I have provided an open ear for whatever difficulty or exciting new enterprise she wants to talk about. I have helped her with a Nova Net course in history that she is working through. She is able to accomplish a lot when there is someone helping her stay on task or when she gets stuck on some difficult material.

The second student is a wonderfully unique individual. He possesses a great sense of who he is. While he does have trouble with attendance and completing all of the work that is required of him, he is always respectful and never is a discipline problem. He and I have gotten into many conversations where we talk about a wide range of subjects. Sometimes he teaches me a great deal about what we are talking, for instance about the many shipwrecks that he is very interested in. We have been able to work together on some of his assignments but he is in need of academic assistance which he does not want. It is a tough situation because he is a very bright person but as a student he has many deficiencies. I have seen an improvement in his ability to apply his intelligence toward his schoolwork though.

In both cases, it has been very rewarding to get to know these individuals. Interacting with them makes my service meaningful because I can see the direct result of my mentoring efforts. To witness this positive change in individuals is the reason that I wanted to pledge a year of service with AmeriCorps. And these two have made it a pleasure to do so.

- Jesse Huge


After winter break my schedule got changed from a split first-second grade class to the special education room. At first I was really nervous but after a few days I fell in love with it, and the students.

Dillan is a student that I work with everyday for at least forty-five minutes. He is in the 6th grade and is cognitively impaired. We work one on one in math. Mrs. B. - the special education teacher - informed me that he really struggles with math and sometimes just doesn't want to do it. She also let me know that his home life is very unstable.

The first day he came in and we got almost nothing done. He had so many questions for me and wanted to know why I was helping him and he was telling me that he was a hopeless cause. But I stuck to it, and the next day he came back ready to learn. After working diligently for the 45 minutes he finished all his work. From then on I knew it would get better. After he left Mrs. B. said "now the hope is that he remembers that tomorrow" - and he did. In fact he is doing great.

Every morning he comes in the room to check to make sure that I am there. When I am gone he always asks where I am and if I am ok. He does not like to work with anybody else on his math - just me. He has completed more work than the teacher thought he would by the end of the year.

- Dana Gray


Every other week I visit each preschool classroom in the middle and north end of the BHK spectrum to play games with the children to get them moving for 30 minutes. Now that I have visited each classroom numerous times, the kids know who I am and what I am there to do. They all yell "Katelyn's here!" excitedly as I get the room ready for the games we are about to play. It is really nice to see that the kids are still excited to work out with me and play along joyfully as we try out new games. I have been having a great time working with the Healthy Families Project and feel that it is an excellent way to increase the knowledge of exercise and eating healthy in preschoolers. It is especially important to do so in the present day with the problem of obesity growing larger every day.

- Katelyn Skoog