Individuality is FINE... as long as we all do it together.

When Matt was in 1st grade, each little person in his class colored an apple tree for a display for the upcoming Parent Night.

Matt colored the apples on his tree in different colors. Some were green, some red, some had a bit of yellow.

When I talked to him this morning about it, he recalled that he was trying to duplicate the colors and varieties he'd seen in the grocery store.

He also colored the foliage with several different colors of green, and made the trunk with shades of brown.

His teacher was not happy. First, she (as he says) got in his face, leading with her big chin mole and blasting out coffee breath. She grabbed his box of 96 crayons* and found three crayons for him. Red, green and brown. She slapped them down on his table so hard that she broke one.

Then, she took his box of crayons, told him he could have them back later, and got him a new apple tree picture. She threatened him with, "Your picture will not hang up for parent night if you don't do it right."

She took his crayons and unfinished picture back to her desk.

She got the attention of the rest of the class. Held up Matt's picture, and said, "This is what you DO NOT DO."

Sat down and crumpled up his work and tossed it into the recycle bin.

So he did it her way. He was not happy with his finished project, either. He'd spent so much time trying to be creative with his first attempt that he did not have time to make the second attempt up to his usual standards. When we attended the event, he was embarrassed and apologetic that his picture 'wasn't as good' as the other ones.

I guess he learned a lesson or two from the incident.

*At parent night, she berated me for buying him the large box of crayons for school when the supply list specifically said 24 crayons. "Too many colors," she said, tsk tsk-ing. "It's confusing for the children."

So Matt will be 23 years old in a few months. I find it interesting and not in a good way, that he still remembers a 17 year old incident so vividly.

I recalled that little episode this week after witnessing an incident at the school.

My program is set up in the cafeteria. The kids get out of school at 2:30, and for me to be ready for them, I arrive early to set up the room.

On Thursday, the Kindergarten class was painting on the cafeteria floor. The teacher rolls out long sheets of paper and the kids put their projects on it and paint.

They all look so cute in the big t-shirts they're wearing over their clothing while they paint.

I walked in while the teacher was telling a small boy, "No, we do not paint the kitty pink. Cats are brown and black and white and gray. Sometimes tan."

She then involved the rest of the class. "Are kitties pink?"
"Noooo!" they all chorused.

She turned back to the little boy.

And he said, "But it's a maginary cat!"

She smiled.

"We are not using our imaginations right now. We are painting."

Sometimes I forget that I'm working in a public school.