Kimberly and Leila live a normal, everyday life - until Kimberly meets a girl trespassing on the playground of the elementary school she is employed at. Kimberly knows Nova is too old to be a student at the school. She figures her to be a preteen or...
Nova ran as fast as she could. Once she got up the nerve to make a break for it, she couldn't bring herself to stop. No matter how long she'd been going, it didn't feel far enough. She still felt like he was around every corner.
It was the middle of the night and it was pouring. She didn't know where she was or where she was going, but she didn't care. She had been dreaming of escaping for years. Now that she finally had, she knew she could never go back.
Nova ended up in a suburban neighborhood, walking down a sidewalk. She had not lost the desire to run, but she had lost the energy needed to do that. Still, she insisted her body keep moving. So she walked.
That's when she saw it - an elementary school's playground. Out-of-headspace Nova didn't want to stop, but little Nova did.
•••••••••••••••
Kimberly Price, a second grade teacher at Meadow Brook Elementary School, arrived to work early that Thursday morning. Today was a student's birthday and she needed time to decorate the classroom.
Kimberly was thirty-five, white with brown eyes and brown hair. She was a vibrant, joyful woman. Kimberly's work was her life. She had the privilege of having a job that she really loved. Unless she was sick, she never woke up not wanting to go to work.
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Kimberly felt that her job was not only to teach the children. It was also her responsibility to make sure they were doing well emotionally. That was what propelled her to put as much effort into their emotional care as she put into educating them.
One way she monitored their mental health was by having a special time set aside each morning for "Expression Time." She and the children sat in a circle on the floor and each child had a few minutes to tell her and the class about something good that happened to them since their last Expression Time and something that happened that they didn't like. After each child had gone, they had a group discussion about what was said.
These group discussions didn't last as long as most would think, but the kids loved it. It was also a good way to weed out the abused or neglected children. Kimberly's Expression Time had led to multiple reports to child welfare and had rescued several children over the years.
Another way that she made sure that the kids felt important and validated was to celebrate their birthdays with a small party. Each child's birthday was celebrated, whether the actual birthday fell on a school day or not. If the child had a Saturday birthday, it was celebrated on Friday. If their birthday was on Sunday, the child had a party on Monday. If the child had a summer birthday, Kimberly and her class celebrated it in the first or last month of the school year. If the birthday fell on any other day that school was on break, it was celebrated on the day before or after the break.
Each child's party included a decorated classroom that had a banner with their name on it, a card signed by Kimberly and the other children, and a small cake. While everyone sang Happy Birthday, Kimberly handed the child a wrapped gift. Nothing fancy - Kimberly was not a rich woman. Still, she made sure it was something the child would really like. In short, Kimberly wanted to make each child feel safe, important, and loved throughout the year.
