Blog#5 Don’t let (little) people sit in sh!t
The reading this week definitely gave pause for reflection. Parker Palmer said, “We are not fully human until we recognize what we know and take responsibility for it.” Turning our head or doing things just because it’s part of the job or not part of our job are not acceptable excuses for not taking a human stand when necessary. Palmer also said we are “in but not of” the institutions. Dan Edelstein wrote about a liberal education that promotes “independently minded individuals” and Dr. Sonia Henry wrote about medical students losing their empathy. The writings reminded me to do the right thing, the human thing, and what I would want someone to do for me or my children. I could share and say academic things that relate to this, but instead I’ll share a story about basic human needs.
If you have a weak stomach or you are eating, don’t read the rest of this blog. Not too long ago, I walked into the office to the most putrid smell I have ever smelled. It filled the entire office to the point where I thought I would vomit. When I asked my secretary what happened, she motioned to a little boy and said mom was on her way (she lives about 5 minutes from the school). The kindergarten boy had an explosion…the kind where there was brown up and down the back, coming out the socks and shoes, and everywhere in between. The mother had given the child a laxative and it hit him while he was on the bus riding to school. We always have spare clothes for kids who have accidents and the staff is happy to help out, but this was going to require a shower. When nobody showed up, I looked at my Assistant Principal and said get a bag and off we went to the nurse’s office loaded with wipes, clean clothes, and a little boy who needed somebody to the right thing. I told him I had a little boy once and that it was ok to have an accident. I cleaned him up from chest to toe and handed the soiled wipes to my AP while she held the bag. I told her that sometimes you have to override the decisions of others and do what is right for the child. Some people were willing to let that little one sit there until mom arrived (which didn’t happen until 40 minutes later). When I brought him back to my office all cleaned up, I asked him if he felt better. He didn’t say a word, he just walked over and gave me a big hug. As the principal of an elementary school, I can definitely say my most important job that day was to do the human thing and clean some poop. I told my AP that the lesson of the day was, we don’t let kids sit in sh!t.
