While walking through the local mall I discovered the Hurricane Simulator.
For a mere $2 you walk into a closet-sized, windowed enclosure, click the door closed and be in a "hurricane.
" The simulator winds begin slowly and then race to 78 mph.
WOW! Outsiders can see the thrill seeker's hair flying and the soundless giggles abounding.
It's great fun although short lived.
Society has its own hurricane simulator that often blows children right into our classrooms.
It's called "life" and it's like the hurricane simulator only it lasts a lot longer and often isn't nearly as much fun.
It is estimated that one in 50 American children are homeless.
The economy is making the problem worse.
Mike Cleary, reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported recently that there are approximately 50,000 homeless children in Florida.
These figures were gathered during interviews with Shirley Favali of Broward Outreach Center and Patricia Mantis of Broward County Coalition to End Homelessness.
Dianne Lee Sepielli, the Broward County, FL School Board's coordinator for homeless education estimates approximately 1,600 homeless children enrolled in Broward County.
Claudia Tuck, division director for Palm Beach County Human Services estimates 953 homeless children enrolled in Palm Beach County, FL school system.
In addition to children experiencing the insecurity of being homeless, there are thousands of children in homes who are coping with the stress of a parent serving in the military.
The numerous deployments and separations created by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are often not spoken of.
However, you tube.
com and newspapers often report on surprise reunions of military families.
It's then you can see just how much these children have been holding in emotionally while trying to function in our classrooms.
Every year classroom rosters across the country are loaded with the names of children who have moved yet again - this time into our area and our classrooms.
The winds of change bring children who live without their parents, who live with foster parents, who live in cars, tents, and shelters, and who either go without meals or have inadequate meals, and often who go without health care.
Some have parents in jails.
Growing up for them comes fast and hard.
It's not simulated; it's not fun; and it's brutal.
In the 1950's educators used a short film entitled, "A Desk For Billy".
The film told the plight of a young student whose parents were migrant workers - Billy never really had a desk to call his own because he was always on the move.
Billy never had much of anything permanent - no house, no school, no friends.
Needless to say, Billy didn't look very happy in the film.
At the end of the film, when the director panned to Billy's vacant desk, the viewer was left to wonder, "What happened to Billy?" We never found out.
So what's it really like for a young student to be faced with negotiating a new building, a new authority figure, new peers, new rules...
not once but often while at the same time coping with these unimaginable stresses outside the classroom? Teachers may not recognize these troubled children because it's easy to look at them and think all is well.
They put up a brave front.
They are embarrassed about their situation.
They hide the teasing they get from other children and the worry they experience wondering how they will get by.
All the while they take on the adult responsibility for trying to encourage their parent.
As educators, we are the soldiers on the front lines in our civilized society.
It remains our responsibility to anticipate and reduce the anxieties and stresses these students have and to help them assimilate into our classrooms.
Here are a few ways to answer some of those unvoiced questions.
Schedule a time for children to tour their new surroundings.
Visit the entire school and grounds.
Children are very concrete in their thinking.
It can be very comforting to actually walk-through and view the entire new school.
Taking pictures of the child in his new surroundings is something that be used to make a mini-memory book of his visit.
It's something to hold onto and something to be re-read.
It can be shared with his family.
Introduce the child to the new rule makers.
Making time to meet the entire school staff begins to make school his home away from home.
When children have the opportunity to build a relationship with new authority figures, to see them and be welcomed by them, they begin to feel a part of the new school team.
Make sure the child understands that school is a safe place where adults can help with many problems.
It's a place where adults will listen with compassion.
Planning opportunities for new students to work with other classmates will help them get to know each other.
Some teachers ask a veteran classmate to become the mentor or special buddy for the new child.
Sometimes the special buddy knows better than anyone the concerns of the new child.
Staff needs to keep an ear open for teasing or shunning from other classmates.
Providing the child with an explanation of the way the classroom operates is important.
What are the rules? What are the schedules? Providing a new student with this information can help him get re-organized.
It might be considered "a new student's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.
" Paying close attention to all students all the time.
In today's quickly changing environment a child might be secure in a home one day, homeless the next, or parentless the day-after-tomorrow.
Noticing behavior changes daily can help determine a child's situation.
For a mere $2 you walk into a closet-sized, windowed enclosure, click the door closed and be in a "hurricane.
" The simulator winds begin slowly and then race to 78 mph.
WOW! Outsiders can see the thrill seeker's hair flying and the soundless giggles abounding.
It's great fun although short lived.
Society has its own hurricane simulator that often blows children right into our classrooms.
It's called "life" and it's like the hurricane simulator only it lasts a lot longer and often isn't nearly as much fun.
It is estimated that one in 50 American children are homeless.
The economy is making the problem worse.
Mike Cleary, reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported recently that there are approximately 50,000 homeless children in Florida.
These figures were gathered during interviews with Shirley Favali of Broward Outreach Center and Patricia Mantis of Broward County Coalition to End Homelessness.
Dianne Lee Sepielli, the Broward County, FL School Board's coordinator for homeless education estimates approximately 1,600 homeless children enrolled in Broward County.
Claudia Tuck, division director for Palm Beach County Human Services estimates 953 homeless children enrolled in Palm Beach County, FL school system.
In addition to children experiencing the insecurity of being homeless, there are thousands of children in homes who are coping with the stress of a parent serving in the military.
The numerous deployments and separations created by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are often not spoken of.
However, you tube.
com and newspapers often report on surprise reunions of military families.
It's then you can see just how much these children have been holding in emotionally while trying to function in our classrooms.
Every year classroom rosters across the country are loaded with the names of children who have moved yet again - this time into our area and our classrooms.
The winds of change bring children who live without their parents, who live with foster parents, who live in cars, tents, and shelters, and who either go without meals or have inadequate meals, and often who go without health care.
Some have parents in jails.
Growing up for them comes fast and hard.
It's not simulated; it's not fun; and it's brutal.
In the 1950's educators used a short film entitled, "A Desk For Billy".
The film told the plight of a young student whose parents were migrant workers - Billy never really had a desk to call his own because he was always on the move.
Billy never had much of anything permanent - no house, no school, no friends.
Needless to say, Billy didn't look very happy in the film.
At the end of the film, when the director panned to Billy's vacant desk, the viewer was left to wonder, "What happened to Billy?" We never found out.
So what's it really like for a young student to be faced with negotiating a new building, a new authority figure, new peers, new rules...
not once but often while at the same time coping with these unimaginable stresses outside the classroom? Teachers may not recognize these troubled children because it's easy to look at them and think all is well.
They put up a brave front.
They are embarrassed about their situation.
They hide the teasing they get from other children and the worry they experience wondering how they will get by.
All the while they take on the adult responsibility for trying to encourage their parent.
As educators, we are the soldiers on the front lines in our civilized society.
It remains our responsibility to anticipate and reduce the anxieties and stresses these students have and to help them assimilate into our classrooms.
Here are a few ways to answer some of those unvoiced questions.
Schedule a time for children to tour their new surroundings.
Visit the entire school and grounds.
Children are very concrete in their thinking.
It can be very comforting to actually walk-through and view the entire new school.
Taking pictures of the child in his new surroundings is something that be used to make a mini-memory book of his visit.
It's something to hold onto and something to be re-read.
It can be shared with his family.
Introduce the child to the new rule makers.
Making time to meet the entire school staff begins to make school his home away from home.
When children have the opportunity to build a relationship with new authority figures, to see them and be welcomed by them, they begin to feel a part of the new school team.
Make sure the child understands that school is a safe place where adults can help with many problems.
It's a place where adults will listen with compassion.
Planning opportunities for new students to work with other classmates will help them get to know each other.
Some teachers ask a veteran classmate to become the mentor or special buddy for the new child.
Sometimes the special buddy knows better than anyone the concerns of the new child.
Staff needs to keep an ear open for teasing or shunning from other classmates.
Providing the child with an explanation of the way the classroom operates is important.
What are the rules? What are the schedules? Providing a new student with this information can help him get re-organized.
It might be considered "a new student's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.
" Paying close attention to all students all the time.
In today's quickly changing environment a child might be secure in a home one day, homeless the next, or parentless the day-after-tomorrow.
Noticing behavior changes daily can help determine a child's situation.