Mt Vernon Elementary School: Be Still and Listen.

I knew that familiar choked up feeling wouldn’t’ go away as I entered the hallways of Mount Vernon Elementary School in Springfield. Why would it leave me this year, it seems like it’s always been there when I walk inside those doors.
Each fall, for the past decade or so, Mount Vernon serves as a great reminder to me that life is not what it seems.

At one time Mount Vernon was one of the rougher schools in the district. A new building, required uniforms for the students and a focus on teaching the kids to be responsible and respectful proved to students that they could be remarkable.
Yesterday turned out to be a big day for hundreds of kids. Students who model these behaviors are given a “Self Manager Button”. It’s a really big deal.

The cafeteria is packed with kids, their parents, grandparents, neighbors and teachers. Each year I get to give a little talk and help hand out the buttons. I’ve done this for so many years soon I’ll be giving buttons to the children of past recipients. That means I’m getting old.

This year was different from past years. My life has changed dramatically and driving to Mount Vernon felt foundational in my world that sometimes seems to float in no-mans land.

The large ball that hangs in the back of my throat at times like this seems to be attached directly to a tear duct. I need to talk with a medical expert as to why this happens. 

Last year I met Brendan. He’s a 5th grader. I met him in a class that I visit each year that has become my refuge at Mount Vernon.

It’s a class where students who need just a little extra help can go for all or part of the day. As a child I spend time in a class similar to this one. ( I still need help with math.)

The kids in this room seem to connect with me. Actually, it’s the other way around. I understand and love to get into conversations with them. They are so smart, so aware of aspects of life that I forget about. It’s great. I really love it here.

Last year, Brendan called me out. We were talking as a class when he said to me “you feel comfortable in this classroom don’t you?” I said “yes”. He said: “do you know why?” I said: “why?” Brendan said: “Because we don’t judge you here.” At that point the world stopped. There was this big giant pause that couldn’t be filled with a word or even a breath. It just happened. The teachers’ eyes started to fill with tears as did mine. He’d read, not my mind, but my soul. He was right. I’d never thought of it like that before. Then Brendan said something else that I never understood at the moment, but do “Get” today. He said: “I think your life’s going to change this year.”

You guessed it, another pause, another gap in time, another tear. Brendan was a messenger from God at least that’s how I see it. Never try to second-guess the hand of God.

Mount Vernon Elementary, on the outside, looks like just another Springfield School. But when you get inside, and get to know the teachers, kids and parents, you soon realize there’s something going on here beneath the surface that can’t be explained.
If you really dig, and step into the classroom where I feel the most comfortable, you not only feel the difference, you experience it. All you have to do is take the time, ask questions, be still and listen.

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