4 Fabienne remembers "What's in the Punch?"

Years ago, I remember teaching a grade 2/3 classroom of students. One boy 

named Tim was a freckled, red-haired boy with a big smile and devious little 

habits.  He wasn't purposely bad , he just had a knack for getting into trouble. He

 was always out of his desk, knocking things over, dropping things, bumping into 

others, generally talking out loud bothering everyone.  If ever there was any 

disturbance in the classroom, Tim was always in the middle of it.  He was my test

from GOD to learn patience.

One day after school when I noticed his mom  entering my classroom, I realized

my day had gone smoothly and also Tim had been absent.  She started to say she

came in to get homework for him as he had the measles and he would be away 

for a few days. What did I say, you ask!  "Oh Good." She looked at me and I tried

to save myself by saying "Oh good that you came in and told me. I was 

wondering why he wasn't here today."  Thank God, she laughed and said "I know

what handful, he can be. "

That year for our Mothers' Day Tea, I had the kids make a vase out of a bottle 

covered with glued crepe paper, crepe flowers in the vase and a card with a poem

in it written by them. We had baked cookies and made a punch to drink with

floating fruit on top. The  Moms sat in the desks, the kids read their poems and 

handed their Moms  their cards and flower vases. All was quiet, all went well...

until Tim served his mom some cookies on a tray.

 He tripped and some cookies spilled down his mom's chest and lap and down to 

the floor. The kids started grabbing onto his Mom's clothes for the clean cookies.

They were screaming at him not to put the cookies on the floor back on the

 the plate.  His poor Mom looked mortified. I calmly said "Tim go get 

your Mom a glass of punch and your Mom and I will deal with these cookies. "

Kids were upset, worried their moms wouldn't get a cookie or worse a dirty one

 picked up off the floor by Tim and had been put back on the tray.  His Mom was

 apologizing for everything and I'm saying don't worry when all of a sudden we 

hear "Tim, you dirty pig, get out. Get out."  Now I am mortified.  What now!!

I go to the table to find Tim has his hand in the punch bowl up to his elbow.

Oh MY God!!  I said to Tim " Tim why didn't you use the ladle to scoop out your

Mom's punch?"  He took his hand filled with cherries and orange slices out of the

punch bowl and said  "Well, I couldn't get the fruit in the scoop and Mom likes

them."  So, what could I say to that?  He took the drink to his Mom. She looked

upset. Kids were saying we can't give our moms punch cause Tim had his grubby

hands in it.  So bright me- I pick up the punch bowl and said I would make a new

batch and be right back. Off I go to the staff room, pour in the left over cherry

juice, add some more Sprite I still had, and a bunch of ice.  Of course I didn't 

have enough supplies to do a whole new batch of punch, but I couldn't go back

empty handed.

I figured if Tim's Mom survived drinking the punch so could the rest of us.

I guess, it just goes to show  "what we don't know can't hurt us."

Tim gave me a lot of good memories and taught me many lessons about 

patience.  He was such a happy boy with a very loving, accepting Mom.

We all have challenges but  my year with Tim was a good one.

So what was in the punch bowl- orange juice, pineapple juice, a bottle of

Sprite, orange slices, cherries, ice cubes and a special ingredient added by Tim. 

His grubby hand to mix it all up.

Faith Always !!