Inside Mrs. B's Classroom #3

“This is what school means to these kids. It’s their safe haven. So when you find out what chaos these children are coming from, consider where they have been when they have a hard time settling down to learn in your classrooms” (143).


After many months of teaching and trying to calm her 30-some students down to learn, Baldacci realized that their behavior was not exactly their fault. Their exposure to violence effected their behavior, caused peer problems, and low academic achievement. No one really encouraged the children to learn or succeed. Some teachers were giving up. They thought it was hopeless. Baldacci is one teacher that never gave up on her students. She believed that change was possible, that academic achievement was attainable, that the lives of these young children could be turned around. She noticed that these kids were living in a war zone. Few lived with both parents at home and many lived in foster homes and had no money for food. School provided them with food. If the school closed, the children would starve. This was their "safe haven" as Baldacci describes it. This was the only place they can act their age and she began to understand that. She tried to relate to them and support them because for many no one was there for them at home. She began to learn things about them she had never imagined. For example, one of her students told her she would never have a boyfriend because she was raped at the age of six. She was creating a special bond with them. Baldacci loved these kids, no matter how uncooperative they were some days. By the end of the year, she noted a decrease in behavioral problems and dramatic increase in academic achievement. She had taught them to resolve their problems face to face, in agreement, or through letters. She tried teaching them how to be real men and women, warriors against the violence of their community. They were growing into young men and women as their knowledge increased. She was giving them assignments that interested them. She had reading corners and read aloud to them each and every day. They saw movie versions of books and wrote papers about their identity. They were a hit at the Christmas program and won at the science fair. By the end of the year, almost all test scores improved. Baldacci was transforming these kids and improving their lives. She was succeeding in her mission as a teacher.