Jonathan

Years ago, when I was the school super in a small Eastern Colorado town, my school librarian was expecting her fifth (I think, fifth) child.  When a school district is as small as mine, it is not always easy to find new staff members.  So, you keep them, if possible.  As well, child care is not as available as it is in the big city.

My librarian’s family lived in the town in a mobile home.  Which for this family was really not large enough.  So, when she became the school’s librarian, they moved into school housing.  Just down the block from the school.  Truth be told, the mobile home was also just down the block from the school.  The town’s foot print wasn’t very big.

Jonathan was born in late summer, so what was my school to do about a librarian?  I talked the situation over with her; we thought if the school board would approve, she could bring Jonathan to school.  He would have a crib in the corner of the library, easily accessible for her to care for him while, at the same time, taking care of the library duties.  After all, we thought, the students were not all in the library at the same time.  There were many minutes during each hour when the room had no students at all.

The school board approved our idea; well, not all of the board members were in favor, but they reluctantly agreed that this solution could be workable.  So, Jonathan became our book baby.

What transpired surprised us all.  Our school population was relatively small.  On very cold, snowy days, when the children arrived at the school (either by walking from their homes in the town or being bussed in from the farms and ranches), the students went to the library for the few minutes they had before the start of the day’s school.  Librarian Paulette was in charge.  As ornery as some of those kids could be, with Paulette and Jonathan, their best behavior was always present.

I never saw, nor did I hear about, any time that one of our “big¸ ol” farm and ranch kids did not behave properly.  They loved Paulette, and they especially loved Jonathan.  They would hold him, carry him around the library pointing out things for him to see, and sit on the floor and play with him.  They really did love him.  I would observe the most recalcitrant student simply melt into goodness with Jonathan.  Jonathan was a great addition to our school.

The staff loved having Jonathan as a part of our community.  As Jonathan learned to walk and explore, he would venture out of the library.  No staff ever thought it a disruption when Jonathan wandered into their work space.  He would sit on their lap, look at their papers, pick up their pencils or pens and scribble on papers he was given.  That is, until his mom realized that he had slipped the confines of the library for a little adventure.

We may have been one of the first places in the United States that permitted children to accompany parents to the work place.  Of course, during COVID, it was customary for children to be in the work place.  The work place was often home.

Watching the relationships of students and Jonathan, reinforced my thinking that, if I were in charge of school curricula, all high school students would have a semester working with early childhood classes.  Perhaps, the classes could be housed within the high school.  We teach our children to be everything.  Farmers.  Mechanics.  Bakers.  Secretaries.  Personal assistants.  Wood workers. CEOs.  Accountants.  Etc., etc., etc.  We just don’t help them learn to parent children.  Classes working with preschool children might help with that.

Jonathan would be a grown man, by now  But, we will always remember him toddling down the halls of the school on his way to somewhere.

Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are appreciated.