DEVELOPING PROJECTS TO HELP THE WORLD - Chapter Forty

DANNY

I was glad I was asked to help with the groups, and I worked to put myself in the same group as Veronica in the Bayshore group. She is as pretty as Ella and Evie, and I can kind of flirt - I think that's what they call it- and I finally think I know what flirting is - with her today and never see her again. Veronica, as a spokesperson from Bayshore, asked, "Anyone have any ideas?"

Ella offered this: "My grandmother died and was at her home before she died and was enrolled in Hospice. And when I saw the Hospice group of very kind people who give care and comfort to the dying. I was thinking, why can't we create a group like that for new mothers and their babies?"

Arthur, a Bayshore fellow, added, "And we could help with that. My mom said that way back in what they called the Great Depression, there were thousands of abandoned babies, and they were being cared for by different welfare people, but many babies died, and they didn't know why. They heard about Mexico City and that they had just as many abandoned babies, but not nearly as many were dying. So, they sent some folks down to Mexico to see what they were doing. The delegates came back and said that 'we', the folks in New York, had cleaner and nicer facilities, but in Mexico they had women come in all day and night to hold and cuddle the babies. The American caregivers began to have women come in and just hold the babies, and the number who died went way down.

I like that, and we can form a group like Hospice, and we'd get some adults to help us and maybe even help form a men's group to help us." I stood up and shouted, "Hey, you all (I'm sure it came out in my usual ya'ahl) - we just came up with about four great projects = we can form small groups to visit Mothers with babies and young children like hospice does for the dying, and for groups to get senior men to help us and other folks. I hope this is helpful."

Veronica said, "Danny, you're hopeless." But she smiled when she said it, and she went on to say, "I think we could do it, and look and sound like the children; they will think we're cute, but I think we can find a few elderly men who will take us seriously. I heard my dad say that his Rotary club didn't do much to help others. I'll start with him. Then we need to learn for ourselves how to talk like people who think and not act like whiny brats. Maybe we need to form study groups for that too."

I patted my forehead like I was trying to pry loose some good thoughts and said, "Hey, you Smiles people, we go to school with hospice kind of people; all our teachers are like Sam and Patria, so they can help us form groups and guide them into being kind and thoughtful and all the positive stuff."

Ella said, " Danny, the word is 'qualities', not 'stuff'." I nodded and grinned, and Ella went on: "Veronica, you live several miles from here, so maybe you could form a small group of fifth graders and elderly men there, and we'll start both here. And I can start with both of my grandpas who live near our school. And I know there are a lot of lonely people. My mom says that it is true for far too many people in our society, and she hasn't done anything about it. I'll have to approach this with her in a very gentle way – she's very wary of anyone, including me, who sounds bossy or like a smart aleck."

Chris said, "It will be fairly easy for us here because we all go to the same school and I'm sure all staff members at Smiles will be for and with us. I think that our entire staff is like the folks at Hospice – kind, understanding, and respectful."

"You're kidding, right?" Said Judy, a loquacious girl from Bayshore. I noticed that the elderly woman evaluator nodded solemnly, and Judy went on. "I'm going to be interested in what our teachers and principal have to say about all this – if they will tell us." Dr. Langdon's smile went away.

Joe Johnson looked stunned as he asked, "You mean you're afraid to ask?"

Judy glared at him and said, "I once heard a teacher say that one of her profs in grad school said, 'Don't smile till Christmas.' And she said she was sure he meant it, and that teacher of ours swallowed a bit of that. Hey, that could be another project: create a group and help them to be like your Smiles school."

Arthur responded, "And get ourselves kicked out of school. Here's a better project: We need to refine a lesson that we can teach everyone, and it is that punishment is not a positive way to correct behavior. Instruction and encouragement are much better." 

Joe Jackson, added, "You Bayshore guys sure make me appreciate our school. Now, I think we are being called to join everybody."

One of the adults told us to give everyone a report on the projects we have come up with. Ella and Veronica took turns announcing the projects we had come up with. Veronica went first; "We propose that first, we need to form a group to learn and practice talking like thinking and sensing persons and not whiny and dumb kids."

Ella followed, "We all thought that all teachers needed to treat students the same way Hospice workers treat the dying and their families, and we could form teams to do that when we learned that ourselves."

Veronica: "We could also form small teams to visit ailing seniors in hospitals and nursing homes."

Ella: "We want to educate everyone, especially those who care for or teach children, that punishment results in fear and anger and should be replaced with respect, encouragement, and guidance. Yeah, I know, we sound like we want to change the world, because we do!" 

Dr. Shirley Sampler clapped and almost shouted, "That is wonderful. Thank all of you!" Our Dr. Sam, Dr. Patria, and our principal, Sarah Bosch, also clapped. Dr. Samper turned to her three co-evaluators and asked, "Is this a good time for us to get together with the four of us, or should we include the principals and teachers?

Dr. Joe Davis responded, "I would like to meet with all the evaluators first, then just us four."

The old doctor looked somewhat relaxed and almost smiled. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall of their room.