I Just Did Something Right

For most people, afternoon car rider duty is a burden. Not to me. I’m a fan of car duty. In many ways, it’s one of my favorite parts of each day. My team and I get to see cute animals and try to break the speed record for loading cars most efficiently…and we get to meet parents that otherwise we wouldn’t have reason to meet. Sometimes these parent interactions are for praise. Sometimes they are for discipline. Sometimes they are just for fun. One of my favorite afternoons of car rider duty happened a couple of months ago when a parent got herself blocked into the car-rider-parking-lot-grid-lock only to realize that both of her girls were staying late for a school dance. I couldn’t help it. I laughed at her ahs she drove away with no children. Then I went and told her girls. They laughed at her, too .

Last week, a parent asked how her son had been in music class that morning. I told her that other than taking a toy to class and momentarily distracting his classmates he had done fine. She asked if it was his My Little Pony. I said yes. She said that his classmates liked to pick on him because he likes My Little Pony. I said that, at least in this instance, they weren’t picking on him because of the type of toy he had—just that it was a toy and students weren’t supposed to have toys at school. She confirmed that he shouldn’t have had a toy—that he was supposed to leave it in the car—and then the conversation went on to a natural end…only I walked away thinking about what she had said, feeling really bad for her son, knowing that he gets picked on because of the toys that he chooses to play with…

Recently, my mom has been working to de-clutter the attic and other storage areas of our house. Because she, too, likes to purchase sale items to give to people but then often forgets that she has them, and because the grandchildren are getting older, she had a stockpile of toys to give away. She made a box for me and told me to take it to school. I did. And when I looked through it on Friday morning, amongst lots of other gifts and toys, I saw a My Little Pony Pinkie Pie…

Each week, B selects an art challenge and I select a character education challenge for students to complete. If students choose to do the challenge, then they very simply drop their work in the collection slot and hope that we select their work for recognition. If selected, students get to help lead the pledge during the morning announcements on Fridays and receive a small prize. Some students complete the challenge each week. Some students only do select challenges. Recently, the student from above, whom we’ll call Joe, has been completing the challenges…

After giving all of the other students their prizes on Friday morning, I signaled for Joe to bend down to the prize box with me. I pulled out the My Little Pony Pinkie Pie and asked if it was something that he would like as his prize. His eyes immediately lit up, but then he remembered that his show of excitement wasn’t “cool” and said that he’d rather have something else. He looked at the other toys and selected something more traditionally masculine. I looked at him and said, “That’s fine. You can have that, too. But is this something that you would like? Because if it is, then I can take it to car rider duty this afternoon and no one in your class will know that it was your prize.” His eyes lit up and again, a smile spread across his face, and he nodded yes. Then he took his masculine toy and went back to class.

All day, students asked about the My Little Pony Pinkie Pie. I told them that it was a character education prize and that it already belonged to someone. They were jealous.

That afternoon, when I saw Joe on his way to the car rider line in the library, he looked at me with excitement. Before he could say anything, I said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got it, buddy. It’s already in the library.” He smiled. When I got to the library, Joe looked at me and signaled that he was ready for me to secretly drop the pony into his bookbag. I said, “I’m gonna take it directly to your car, okay?” He smiled.

So in the midst of calling car rider names, I delivered a My Little Pony Pinkie Pie to Joe’s mom. I explained to her what I was delivering. She cried. And when Joe got to the car, and I told him that his mom had it, he was practically jumping out of his skin with excitement.

I smiled. I, too, got a bit teary eyed. I prayed that Joe would enjoy his new My Little Pony and that he would grow to be exactly who he is meant to be—whoever that is—never having to hide. And then I thought to myself, “I just did something right. Thanks, God.” Amen.