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Tag: Nancy Kidd

School’s draw helped Andrew show signs of brighter days

School’s draw helped Andrew show signs of brighter days

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…

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Dream job developed when all signs pointed to ‘no’

Dream job developed when all signs pointed to ‘no’

BY NANCY KIDD Like many of the kids I taught in detention, before I first walked through the door, I never, ever dreamed I’d end up there. And once inside, just as many of them did, I found myself wondering, “What in the world have I gotten myself into? Is this a dream?” It’s funny how life sometimes unfolds in unexpected ways. After college, I taught for two years but then moved back to Champaign-Urbana to be near family and…

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Detention kids gain lasting wings with ‘Birdie Song’ surprise

Detention kids gain lasting wings with ‘Birdie Song’ surprise

BY NANCY KIDD What do you do …  when you’ve been hired to teach 10- to 16-year-olds with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities at a juvenile detention center? When you don’t know until you walk in how many students you’ll have based on who was arrested or brought from court since the day before? When none of them are happy to be where they are? When they appear lethargic and unmotivated—likely focused on their own personal, serious situations?…

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Heartfulness on the road (courtesy of my mother)

Heartfulness on the road (courtesy of my mother)

BY NANCY KIDD No need to judge others or to compare myself to anyone else. All I need to do is walk my own path and be ready to take the hand of those I encounter and to walk a bit with them. Sometimes that togetherness happens because I need a little support, so I work on asking for help and continue learning to accept it more graciously. Other times we walk together because I am there to assist someone…

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