Her spelling acumen is the stuff of legends. She has not gotten a single word incorrect on a quiz or test — in four years.
At Christmas and birthdays she asks for the dictionary-sized curriculum guide for the grade ahead of her.
You've heard of kids counting down the days until summer vacation? She counts down the days until summer vacation is over.
One day midway through the year in kindergarten, however, things had gone downhill rapidly during our morning routine. I can't recall the exact event that pushed her over the edge, but she emphatically made it clear that she was not attending school that day.
Absentee-ism is not an option at our house, so I proceeded to calmly but firmly herd her into the car with her sister and hit the road.
Her irritation grew as we rounded the corner and parked alongside the curb in front of the elementary building.
By the time we reached the threshold of Ms. S's classroom, I was basically carrying her by the scruff of her neck like a naughty kitten.
After several attempts at reasoning with her the inevitability of attending class, my patience began to wane.
Ms. S looked at both of us and could probably sense the tension building. She lovingly reached out to guide Dos into the room with the other children, busy handing in folders and greeting their beloved teacher. Her nonverbal signals to me said "Get out, and fast. I'll take over from here."
After a last ignored farewell to Dos, I gratefully turned to leave, and as I did, a hideous and contorted series of screams resonated through the hallway. I shuddered but did not lessen the pace of my stride towards the outside door. The screams went unabated until I was beyond the school and entering my car. I could vaguely hear them still from inside my vehicle as I pushed away from the curb.
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Later that morning, I called home to my wife. She had a career as a teacher in our district before taking a leave of absence to care for our children, and knows many other professionals in the district.
After a moment or so she mentioned that she had been speaking with her friend the librarian at our daughter's school. In the background during the call, both had picked up the wailing, echoing sounds of a child. Her friend had remarked, "Well, we have ourselves a screamer here today." Both had chuckled at the intensity of the noise and wondered what could cause such a ruckus.
I broke the news to her about the source of the screams.
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Turns out Dos was fine about 5 minutes after I left. And, strangely enough, she never really did it again.
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