Hi all (something for a Saturday) - having gone back to the classroom
reminded me of another teaching experience which we found as a great
way to recognize and treat each other.

I was teaching in a rural school in the
Catskill Mountains. of NY, with K-12. I had students (7th, 8th, 9th
grades) who couldn't read or write to near geniuses in the same class.
During my preparation period I had a class of Seniors who there teacher was
afraid of(?), but we had a great time. Then during my lunch period I would
go and read to the Kindergarten Class before their nap time. It was during
this time that I noticed a similar group of students being placed on
detention time and time again by other teachers.

Recognize we lived in a fairly poor rural area; where hard work was the
measure of success, not school. Parents were not very forgiving of these
students who didn't get home to do chores, etc. I requested that I would
handle detention; as it was given to a different teacher each PM. Then I
went to a circle of my "all A" students and asked if they would help (with
their parents permission); all said yes. What the plan was that for every
student on detention one of my students would stay to work 'one on one' in
the subject for which they were on detention.

Then one or two of their parents and myself would make sure that they all
got home safely as non-detention students couldn't ride the school bus. It
was at this time we organized, "The Official Order of the Little Finger"
for my group of students helping others. The rules were quite simple: 1)
We would never hurt anyone more than the pain of bending the little finger;
2) We would always help each other out; 3) We would be friends for life; 4)
We would never criticize another who was less well off than ourselves; and
5) We would help anyone else in need of help.

It is important to recognized at this time I belonged to know organized
church as all of the local ones had asked me not to return; I asked too
many questions, and upset the congregation. They would say something, I
would question it, they would answer, I'd go home and research it both in
the Bible and historically, return and tell them their answer was not in
the Bible and historically did not or could not have happened. So in one
part the community I was an outsider, but within the students we had this
neat way of helping others. Maybe this is more what we need to strive for
in our lives today to live by the simple rules this little group came up
with so many years ago:

1) We would never hurt anyone more than the pain of bending the little
finger;

2) We would always help each other out;

3) We would be friends for life;

4) We would never criticize another who was less well off than ourselves; and

5) We would help anyone else in need of help.