School Daze

The real names of all the following are being withheld in order to protect the innocent, if there were any. School days were a daze in school. Before progressing I want to acknowledge we were blessed to come through school with a succession of caring and competent teachers. Nevertheless, they had a cadre of energetic, and at times, mischievous students.

With pride one day our teacher told the class the Superintendent of Education for the county was going to visit our school and had selected our class to visit. On the big day she announced she was going to the office to get him. Following was an impassioned plea to be on our best behavior. Just as the door opened for the two to come in Steve (alias) stood up, swirled his lariat around, and threw it over the head of an unnamed girl saying, “Swing her up to the rafters boys.” We all got detention.

Then there was Hulet who had an ambition to be a log truck; not a log truck driver, a log truck. When recess came you could hear Hulet coming down the hall making the sounds of a log truck: unnen, unnen and gears grinding. When school was out he would double clutch it: unnen, unnen – unnen, unnen. One day the classroom was busy taking a test when Hulet got the inspiration and cranked it up: unnen, unnen. The teacher said, “Hulet you stop that.” Making the sound of a truck stopping suddenly he went: u-r-r-e-r.

I got hypnotized in elementary school. At the time I didn’t know what was happening. No one at the time understood what was going on. Years later I read the basis of hypnotism is confidence in the hypnotist. With that in mind you can understand the following.

“Miss Jones passed my desk and put her hand on my shoulder. I nearly melted when she said, “Nelson you are a good little boy.” So far so good, but she continued, “You just don’t have any self-confidence.” I loved her and resolved that if ever I got out of the third grade I would marry her. I had confidence in her. Starting that day I showed no self-confidence. Had I that would have meant Miss Jones was wrong and I couldn’t do that to one for whom I had such regard.

For years I had no self-confidence until one day while walking I stepped on the sidewalk, paused, and said to myself, “Miss Jones was as wonderful as I thought her to be. She was deserving of my admiration, but she was wrong, I can have self-confidence.” That day I began to belatedly develop it.

My self-confidence was and is based on the thought: “God don’t make no junk, and He made me.” My self-confidence is based on the confidence God loves me, even me. You can build your self-confidence on that same premise. 

Be careful what you tell a child about him or herself. They may believe you.

That gives a big opportunity to share character and confidence in a child.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Do it and you will find it gratifying.