Destiny's Bike

The other day in 2B during the evocation of Urania in "The Fall of Satan" from Paradise Lost [that is, the very-opening-lines], Teara asked if she were to pick a kid off the Angel Tree in the mall and put it up on my board would I take donations.  There was an immediate and overwhelming sense of urgency to do it, and I said of course so she chose 8 year old Destiny's angel and brought her back to class the next time we met. Destiny told Santa that she wants a bike and socks. Last week Teara's class [many of which need an Angel Tree] raised about $100 cash and brought dresses and  High School Musical trading cards and bracelets and teddy bears and bags of hot fries and candy and underwear and socks and tried to bring make-up but I said no on that, and they piled it all up at the front of my room.  My A day classes [Advanced Placement] were so moved that they had to get in on the fun too.  They grabbed 7 year-old Shanta and raised $200 in one day.  They were kind of late getting around to it.  Used it to buy her a karaoke machine and $50 in instrumental soundtracks of everything from "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  Finally, this afternoon, my Creative Writing class spread the loot out all over the room and composed 8 year old girl stories for the girls' stockings about a character named Destiny and a character named Shanta and about all of their adventures in biking and singing in new, stylish clothes and jewelry that Santa had left for them on Christmas morning.

 It has been my experience that the best teaching moments are stumbled-upon, not planned, and they usually happen when the kids are behaving as if I do not exist.  And it is usually unclear as to whether I'm the one doing the teaching or the learning.  

Teara instructed me to deliver Destiny's bike to the drop off center by Tuesday evening, 6 o'clock.  "It's the only thing you have to do Mr. F.  Don't be late."    

--MJF