There was an extra spark of enthusiasm in class one year as the detention center kids and I began a poetry unit. The students appeared eager to write and share their own poetry, so we set aside every Friday for open mic time. The day before the first performance, one of the students suggested I should also write a poem. BY NANCY KIDD “I don’t know,” I said reluctantly. Truthfully, I was thinking of the short time I would have…
For as long as I can remember, music has played an important role in my life. I have enjoyed listening to it as well as performing from time to time. BY NANCY KIDD At JDC I frequently turned to music to supplement our other activities. In addition to our morning “Birdie Song,” we rapped about the bones in the body, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. “Schoolhouse Rock” helped us memorize the preamble to the Constitution. And sometimes we sang…
Until a few years ago, I knew little about the practice of mindfulness, the conscious effort to live in the present moment. As I began to study and practice it, I began to recognize many benefits it offers. I sensed a stronger layer of contentment developing within myself. BY NANCY KIDD I now realize I have wasted a great deal of energy worrying about the future and replaying past events unceasingly. Because of this, I am quite certain I have…
A few weeks ago I served as the music leader at Vacation Bible School at my church. It was my third year to take on this role, and as we neared the beginning of the week-long event, I found myself wondering why I ever said “yes.” What was I thinking? Had I forgotten how exhausted I was last year by the end of the week? Now, approaching 65 and feeling more often the aches and pains of arthritis, I had…
Robert was one of those high school students who took awhile to grow on me. In the beginning, like so many others, he was so tough and defiant – way too cool for school at Juvenile Detention Center (JDC), especially when I expected him to join in singing “The Birdie Song.” He didn’t say it, but I could read it in his face, “You want me to do what??? You’re crazy, lady!” BY NANCY KIDD Then just like the many others…
This week I issue my heartfelt thanks to all of you for following me at Gather the Good. We have been up and running for two months now. I am thrilled by the positive responses, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you. BY NANCY KIDD I know so little about technology, but my friend/editor Laura Mabry tells me to just keep writing. She takes my words and makes them magically appear online, fancying them up with photos…
Thirteen-year-old Brandon arrived at detention with a look of pure innocence. Short and slightly round, he had eyes that lit up when he smiled. Although his appearance was cherubic, his behavior was definitely not. BY NANCY KIDD Brandon was volatile to the point staff sometimes had to restrain him. For the safety of all, he seldom appeared in class with other students. It seemed staff members were constantly dealing with his dramatic outbursts. When he began to show tendencies of…
Andrew* was a challenge. His behavior wasn’t rude, aggressive or violent. He just refused to come to school. BY NANCY KIDD For reasons unknown to me, Andrew chose to stay in his room rather than participate in the school program. That meant he could not join the other detainees for recreational activities, special programs or group meals. He was alone in his dreary cell — a thin vinyl-covered mattress atop a raised concrete platform/bed and a stainless steel toilet and…
BY NANCY KIDD When our boys were in middle school and high school, my husband and I bought a small karaoke machine for Christmas, something we both thought seemed like a fun gift. Although we may have felt a bit underwhelmed by the boys’ level of excitement, when I took it to detention, the students’ responses were more animated. It was a new experience for most of them, and it was a rare opportunity to relax and have some fun….
BY NANCY KIDD I suppose we all have periods in our lives when we feel defeated and overwhelmed, times when the weight of the world holds us pinned motionless to the mat. As much as I have tried to resist, I find myself in that position right now. I strive to live a joy-filled life, and much of the time, by focusing on gratitude and positivity, I float through my days feeling lighthearted and at peace. At this moment, however,…