Acknowledging What Children Do or Say
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children felt uncomfortable in the class. One day, when the other children had left the school, Torey came to Sheila and asked her to have a beauty session. Torey
kept a comb and brush in her cupboard. She also bought a little package of hair clips.
“They’re for you, sweetheart. I thought we could comb your hair out nice and put clips in it. Like I’ve got in mine.” I showed her my hair p. 87.
On the next afternoon, Torey came to the class and she brought towels, a bar of soap, shampoo, and a bottle of baby lotion. She prepared the sink of water
in the back of the classroom, since the class lacked of shower facilities. Sheila saw it and came trotting over. “That was the fastest I had seen her move toward me
since she had come” p. 92. Torey showed to Sheila how to wash her hair and her body, pulled the lotion to her body, and brushed her teeth. Torey also gave some
clothes to Sheila because Sheila never changed her T-shirt and pants. “... But first we’re going to give you the full beauty-shop routine. We’re
going to wash you top to bottom. ... I found some clothes for you to wear. Then Whitney can take your overalls over to the Laundromat when she
comes this afternoon” p. 92.
Sheila did not stink so much anymore. All in all, she became a beautiful cleaned up child. She accustomed to clean her up every morning before the class
was started. Each morning before school Sheila and I worked on hygiene. ... Most
days Sheila was willing to wash and brush her teeth, if I would fix her hair. She delighted in the hair clips. ... Each morning she went through them,
counting them and deciding which ones she would wear. Each evening she took them out of her hair, laying them carefully in the folds of the towel
p. 99.
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