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Either I am the worst teacher this school has ever seen, or these kids are twenty different kinds of crazy, Whimsy thought, standing absolutely still in the relative chaos that was Station Time in the classroom. Or it could be both. Even after meeting with the parents and guardians of each student, that did little to prepare the tenderfoot teacher for the first week of school.

Yes, the first few days aren't supposed to be perfect. Of course, there were going to be kinks and hitches throughout the day that would have to be worked out. And thankfully, Whimsy wasn't in this alone; xe had xeir co-teacher; Mellilla Beehive, and an assistant who traveled around to different classes throughout the day. But HONESTLY, this first week alone--!

Vanilla has an auntie that works as a hairdresser, and the little girl wants to grow up to be just like her~ So, of course, Vanilla decides to practice her skills on her classmates! And she had a perfect test subject; Danni LaMonta, who does not say a single word. She only smiles with a blank look in her eyes. Whimsy screamed when xe saw the pile of red hair on the floor, and Danni still sitting in the chair, smiling, while Vanilla walked around, asking if anyone else wanted a haircut. Vanilla threw such a tantrum when the scissors were confiscated. Whimsy half expected Danni's grandmother to have a similar fit when she came to pick up the child at the end of the day, but she didn't even ask. The woman just rolled her eyes and started walking, with Danni following behind her dutifully. Whimsy wasn't sure whether to count xeir lucky stars or be offended on Danni's behalf. The woman could at least show some mild concern. Vanilla's mother was more concerned about the missing scissors than she was about her daughter giving someone a choppy, punk-rock hairstyle. "It'll grow back," was the woman's response.

Raine-beau understood that he wasn't supposed to wear hoods at school, so his solution was the pull the back of his shirt over his head and walk around like a hunchback, with his tummy poking out. Mx. Beehive tried to fix his shirt once. The two adults watched as panic quickly took over, and he began to cry. It was clearly a comfort thing; having his head covered. During naptime, he was one of those kids who slept with his head under the pillow. Honestly, Whimsy was tempted to just allow him to wear hoods to school, so long as they could still see his face. Or maybe they could compromise with a hat or a bandana.

Naomi is perhaps the biggest stickler for the rules that Whimsy had ever met, to the point that seeing other children break the rules was enough to trigger a meltdown. For example; Walker's preferred pair of shoes were rainboots, because they were easy to slip on and off, and they gave him a little extra stability when walking.He wore them every day that first week, and every time Naomi spotted him, she would start crying because the weather did not call for that sort of footwear. She didn't like it when the toys were placed haphazardly back into their buckets or bins; they needed to be organized neatly. She was like a corrections officer that BARELY spoke coherently.

Licorice, being an arachne, loved to climb the walls (which probably explained his chipped tooth in the front). Thankfully, he wasn't launching himself off of the walls. He mostly did it to get around things or get away from things. At the very least, he will climb down when asked. Whimsy wondered if there was something xe could do to make the walls arachne-resistant. The last thing xe wanted was to have xeir back turned and hear Licorice falling from the ceiling.

And then Sesame; despite the precautionary measures Whimsy took to make messes and spills less likely to happen, it did little to thwart Sesame. She WILL find something to knock over or spill on the floor. Pencil shavings from the pencil sharpener, water from her own water bottle, the building blocks from the bin--she even went out of her way to tip over a bookcase. And THE MOMENT she heard her name be said in a scolding tone, she would put her hands behind her back, cock her hips to the side, and with the biggest grin on her face, she would apologize in such a sickly sweet tone of voice, it would put someone in a diabetic coma. Whimsy wasn't sure if making messes was something she did out of boredom, something to get attention, or possibly something simulating. Maybe she just liked the sounds of things falling over? Whimsy was torn on whether or not to coach the little girl on how to properly apologize. After all, looking someone in the eye meant you weren't actually feeling any remorse, but Sesame was blind, so she wasn't technically looking at anyone in the eye...

Zing-zing could hold his own, but he clearly had some issues about being the only kid with one arm. Any time someone mentioned it to him, or made a passing comment, or asked an innocent question, he immediately got defensive and declared he hated the person. (Of course, he was 5 years old, so the "hate" quickly fizzled out in a minute or two.) He also hated any help of any kind, regardless of how badly or how obviously he needed it. Whimsy did xeir best to respect his desire for independence, since he probably didn't get much of it at home.

Probably the most concerning child was Danni. Quite literally, all she ever did was smile. If it was Station Time, she could be found against the wall or in a corner, just watching her classmates and smiling. (Actually, Whimsy wasn't even sure if she was watching or just staring off into space.) Carpet time? Smiling. Walking in the hallways? Smiling. Story time? Smiling. Recess? Smiling. Now, Whimsy had worked with nonverbal children in the past. Even if they didn't have the words for what they wanted or needed, they would give some sort of indication. Reaching for their water bottle if they were thirsty, looking for their lunchbox if they were hungry, laying their head down if they were tired. Danni was like... almost like a soldier on high-alert, awaiting instructions from their commanding officer. Whimsy had introduced Danni to the feelings chart, and spoke to her regularly (both verbally and in sign language), and even offered her a journal to write things down or draw pictures in, and the only response she ever got was the same soul-less smile. Several of the other teachers had complimented Danni on being so well-behaved when they saw her in the hallways or in the cafeteria, and even told Whimsy how lucky she was to have an "easy child." Whimsy honestly didn't know how to respond.

There was only one time of day when Danni wasn't smiling; naptime. It was like all the stresses of the day finally hit the little girl all at once, and she would break down crying. Of course, she did her best to do it quietly, but it still bothered the other children. For now, the best solution Whimsy could come up with was to have her lay down out in the hallway to cry, and Whimsy would sit down beside her, filling out communication books or other such paperwork. Once naptime was over, it was like Danni flipped a switch, and it was back to her soul-less smile until her grandmother came to pick her up at the end of the day.

Whimsy didn't have much as far as concrete evidence, but xe was getting the very distinct impression that Danni was being neglected at home. Xe could understand not getting the most expensive supplies for one's child, or maybe even forgetting a few supplies here and there, but Danni had hardly any supplies; particularly important ones. No water bottle, no lunch box for her snacks, no cloth lunch mat, no hand towels, no lunch smock, no naptime blankets, no toothbrush cup or toothbrush. And then there was the clothes she wore; all basic, long-sleeved, ankle-length dresses. (The woman seemed to give up on the headwraps after Danni's impromptu haircut.) Now, all that could be chalked up to funeral expenses, and then having to buy school supplies, but if that were the case, there were thrift stores or even services that donated gently-used supplies to families in need. Thankfully, there was an extra blanket and nap mat in the storage closet down the hall, but they had definitely seen better days. Hopefully, the grandmother would bring the rest of Danni's supplies soon...

"Missir Whimsy?" one of Mx. Beehive's students called out; little Meringue Goldstone. "Danni... Danni... Danni is eating food out of the trash."

And there was that too. Danni never brought snacks from home, always ate lunch from the cafeteria like it was the first meal she's eaten in days, and if she wasn't standing around with a soul-less smile on her face, then she could be spotted looting through the trash bins, trying to find food that the other kids had not finished and thrown away. Whimsy had assured the child time and time again that if she was hungry, there were apples, pears, oranges, raisins, and cheesy crackers in the supply cabinet. All she had to do was ask; words, sign language, even just pointing at the cabinets.

Before Whimsy could try to persuade Danni NOT to bite into a half-eaten banana, the sound of vomiting caught her attention.

Yeah.

One of Mx. Beehive's boys--little Java Porter--gets sick to his stomach whenever he drinks fruit juice, which the teachers found out the hard way earlier in the week. The Porters didn't think to inform them beforehand because they obviously never packed his lunch with fruit juice, and he knew he wasn't supposed to be drinking it anyways. The problem was; Java loved fruit juice SO MUCH that he was willing to suffer the resulting indigestion, and he was not above drinking from another kid's water bottle to get it.

Okay... After stations, we clean up, then lunch, then naptime, then dismissal. Kids go home for the weekend, and we can start over next week.

Description

Either I am the worst teacher this school has ever seen, or these kids are twenty different kinds of crazy, Whimsy thought, standing absolutely still in the relative chaos that was Station Time in the classroom. Or it could be both. Even after meeting with the parents and guardians of each student, that did little to prepare the tenderfoot teacher for the first week of school.

Yes, the first few days aren't supposed to be perfect. Of course, there were going to be kinks and hitches throughout the day that would have to be worked out. And thankfully, Whimsy wasn't in this alone; xe had xeir co-teacher; Mellilla Beehive, and an assistant who traveled around to different classes throughout the day. But HONESTLY, this first week alone--!

Vanilla has an auntie that works as a hairdresser, and the little girl wants to grow up to be just like her~ So, of course, Vanilla decides to practice her skills on her classmates! And she had a perfect test subject; Danni LaMonta, who does not say a single word. She only smiles with a blank look in her eyes. Whimsy screamed when xe saw the pile of red hair on the floor, and Danni still sitting in the chair, smiling, while Vanilla walked around, asking if anyone else wanted a haircut. Vanilla threw such a tantrum when the scissors were confiscated. Whimsy half expected Danni's grandmother to have a similar fit when she came to pick up the child at the end of the day, but she didn't even ask. The woman just rolled her eyes and started walking, with Danni following behind her dutifully. Whimsy wasn't sure whether to count xeir lucky stars or be offended on Danni's behalf. The woman could at least show some mild concern. Vanilla's mother was more concerned about the missing scissors than she was about her daughter giving someone a choppy, punk-rock hairstyle. "It'll grow back," was the woman's response.

Raine-beau understood that he wasn't supposed to wear hoods at school, so his solution was the pull the back of his shirt over his head and walk around like a hunchback, with his tummy poking out. Mx. Beehive tried to fix his shirt once. The two adults watched as panic quickly took over, and he began to cry. It was clearly a comfort thing; having his head covered. During naptime, he was one of those kids who slept with his head under the pillow. Honestly, Whimsy was tempted to just allow him to wear hoods to school, so long as they could still see his face. Or maybe they could compromise with a hat or a bandana.

Naomi is perhaps the biggest stickler for the rules that Whimsy had ever met, to the point that seeing other children break the rules was enough to trigger a meltdown. For example; Walker's preferred pair of shoes were rainboots, because they were easy to slip on and off, and they gave him a little extra stability when walking.He wore them every day that first week, and every time Naomi spotted him, she would start crying because the weather did not call for that sort of footwear. She didn't like it when the toys were placed haphazardly back into their buckets or bins; they needed to be organized neatly. She was like a corrections officer that BARELY spoke coherently.

Licorice, being an arachne, loved to climb the walls (which probably explained his chipped tooth in the front). Thankfully, he wasn't launching himself off of the walls. He mostly did it to get around things or get away from things. At the very least, he will climb down when asked. Whimsy wondered if there was something xe could do to make the walls arachne-resistant. The last thing xe wanted was to have xeir back turned and hear Licorice falling from the ceiling.

And then Sesame; despite the precautionary measures Whimsy took to make messes and spills less likely to happen, it did little to thwart Sesame. She WILL find something to knock over or spill on the floor. Pencil shavings from the pencil sharpener, water from her own water bottle, the building blocks from the bin--she even went out of her way to tip over a bookcase. And THE MOMENT she heard her name be said in a scolding tone, she would put her hands behind her back, cock her hips to the side, and with the biggest grin on her face, she would apologize in such a sickly sweet tone of voice, it would put someone in a diabetic coma. Whimsy wasn't sure if making messes was something she did out of boredom, something to get attention, or possibly something simulating. Maybe she just liked the sounds of things falling over? Whimsy was torn on whether or not to coach the little girl on how to properly apologize. After all, looking someone in the eye meant you weren't actually feeling any remorse, but Sesame was blind, so she wasn't technically looking at anyone in the eye...

Zing-zing could hold his own, but he clearly had some issues about being the only kid with one arm. Any time someone mentioned it to him, or made a passing comment, or asked an innocent question, he immediately got defensive and declared he hated the person. (Of course, he was 5 years old, so the "hate" quickly fizzled out in a minute or two.) He also hated any help of any kind, regardless of how badly or how obviously he needed it. Whimsy did xeir best to respect his desire for independence, since he probably didn't get much of it at home.

Probably the most concerning child was Danni. Quite literally, all she ever did was smile. If it was Station Time, she could be found against the wall or in a corner, just watching her classmates and smiling. (Actually, Whimsy wasn't even sure if she was watching or just staring off into space.) Carpet time? Smiling. Walking in the hallways? Smiling. Story time? Smiling. Recess? Smiling. Now, Whimsy had worked with nonverbal children in the past. Even if they didn't have the words for what they wanted or needed, they would give some sort of indication. Reaching for their water bottle if they were thirsty, looking for their lunchbox if they were hungry, laying their head down if they were tired. Danni was like... almost like a soldier on high-alert, awaiting instructions from their commanding officer. Whimsy had introduced Danni to the feelings chart, and spoke to her regularly (both verbally and in sign language), and even offered her a journal to write things down or draw pictures in, and the only response she ever got was the same soul-less smile. Several of the other teachers had complimented Danni on being so well-behaved when they saw her in the hallways or in the cafeteria, and even told Whimsy how lucky she was to have an "easy child." Whimsy honestly didn't know how to respond.

There was only one time of day when Danni wasn't smiling; naptime. It was like all the stresses of the day finally hit the little girl all at once, and she would break down crying. Of course, she did her best to do it quietly, but it still bothered the other children. For now, the best solution Whimsy could come up with was to have her lay down out in the hallway to cry, and Whimsy would sit down beside her, filling out communication books or other such paperwork. Once naptime was over, it was like Danni flipped a switch, and it was back to her soul-less smile until her grandmother came to pick her up at the end of the day.

Whimsy didn't have much as far as concrete evidence, but xe was getting the very distinct impression that Danni was being neglected at home. Xe could understand not getting the most expensive supplies for one's child, or maybe even forgetting a few supplies here and there, but Danni had hardly any supplies; particularly important ones. No water bottle, no lunch box for her snacks, no cloth lunch mat, no hand towels, no lunch smock, no naptime blankets, no toothbrush cup or toothbrush. And then there was the clothes she wore; all basic, long-sleeved, ankle-length dresses. (The woman seemed to give up on the headwraps after Danni's impromptu haircut.) Now, all that could be chalked up to funeral expenses, and then having to buy school supplies, but if that were the case, there were thrift stores or even services that donated gently-used supplies to families in need. Thankfully, there was an extra blanket and nap mat in the storage closet down the hall, but they had definitely seen better days. Hopefully, the grandmother would bring the rest of Danni's supplies soon...

"Missir Whimsy?" one of Mx. Beehive's students called out; little Meringue Goldstone. "Danni... Danni... Danni is eating food out of the trash."

And there was that too. Danni never brought snacks from home, always ate lunch from the cafeteria like it was the first meal she's eaten in days, and if she wasn't standing around with a soul-less smile on her face, then she could be spotted looting through the trash bins, trying to find food that the other kids had not finished and thrown away. Whimsy had assured the child time and time again that if she was hungry, there were apples, pears, oranges, raisins, and cheesy crackers in the supply cabinet. All she had to do was ask; words, sign language, even just pointing at the cabinets.

Before Whimsy could try to persuade Danni NOT to bite into a half-eaten banana, the sound of vomiting caught her attention.

Yeah.

One of Mx. Beehive's boys--little Java Porter--gets sick to his stomach whenever he drinks fruit juice, which the teachers found out the hard way earlier in the week. The Porters didn't think to inform them beforehand because they obviously never packed his lunch with fruit juice, and he knew he wasn't supposed to be drinking it anyways. The problem was; Java loved fruit juice SO MUCH that he was willing to suffer the resulting indigestion, and he was not above drinking from another kid's water bottle to get it.

Okay... After stations, we clean up, then lunch, then naptime, then dismissal. Kids go home for the weekend, and we can start over next week.