I've been a teacher now for such a very long time. Actually it's been nearly 40 years of a "long time". Over the course of those many days, weeks, months, and years I have had the occasion to meet many young people and to work with them at school. It's been my privilege, indeed my special honor, to have been called "teacher" by them. Each child that has walked through my classroom door has been most precious to me. The passage of that many years and children to go with them has somewhat dimmed my memory of a few of their names and faces. Yet the love in my heart for them all will never go away. I do not take the gifts of their "presence" lightly. I know what it has meant to me.
This morning I had the chance to spend a bit of time with one of my students in a setting far removed from the normal daily confines of our classroom. This young man is a fine boy and one of many that I've come to know in my current position as a 4th-6th grade English teacher this year. He's got a love in his heart for raising pigs and he's been learning how to show them in competitions this year. I found out about it when he told me the story of how he was learning to show his first one. I said that one day soon I would come and meet this creature called "Duke" and see for myself firsthand just what raising a show pig was all about.
I kept my promise.
Today was the day.
I have long held to the notion that children can learn in a variety of ways and places. Sitting in a classroom with their peers alongside them is a great place to begin. Yet there is so much more out there for children to learn and there are things that their teachers cannot even begin to teach them. They are called "life lessons" and some of the best ones around can be found in a pigpen. I learned a few of them myself today.
I am a small town, Kansas farm girl who grew up around animals all of my life. We had pigs on our farm too and the truth of the matter is that I really didn't like them all that much when I was a kid. They scared me when I had to get into the pen with them. It was with great dread that I had to feed them once in a while. Sometimes they would get out, one by one, and it was always such a chore to get them to go back in. I may have uttered the phrase, "You stupid old pig!" more than once as a child as we frantically tried to round them all up and get them back inside of their pen.
I have grown older now and my appreciation for the members of the swine family has grown with me. When Carson told the class and I about how he trained Duke with a marshmallow to respond to him, it brought a big smile to everyone's faces. I knew then that I wanted to meet this fellow.
I was able to spend half of an hour with Carson and his mom today and to see all of the things that go into taking care of a pig like Duke. Carson has learned quite well from the experience and knows exactly what it takes to get the job done. He accepts the responsibility that his animal's well being is dependent upon him. Pigs, just like any other living creature, need food and water, exercise, a clean bed and a plethora of other things in order to do well. When Duke goes to a show with him, it is up to Carson to be able to handle his pig in the arena. Armed with a small whip, he has to be able to make Duke do what he needs him to. Sometimes just like in the classroom, there are others around to distract him. It takes lots of concentration and patience in order to get the job done. Young Carson excels.
As we said our "good-byes" and each headed back to our own homes, I was really glad that I had taken the time on a Saturday morning to go visit our school's pig barn and be a witness to a different venue for learning. As the old saying goes, "Anything done for a child is time not wasted". Just like all the other kids at school, in the years ahead Carson may not recall all of the lessons about writing and grammar that I taught him in the 4th grade but one thing is for sure.
He will always remember the day that his teacher came to meet Duke.
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