The Voice of Southwest Louisiana August 2019 Issue

ADVENTURES of the Lake
By Lela Gholar Tizano
A Special
Education
If you asked Willa what her least
favorite month of the year
was, she would tell you it was
August – without a doubt. After
twenty-two years of teaching she
could never shake the feeling that
settled in the pit of her stomach
when her summer vacation came to
an end.
To make matters worse, according
to her roster, one of the most
challenging students in the whole
school would be placed in her class
this year. His name was Tommy
and he was one of a pair. The Fyte
twins, Tommy and Tammy were
a force to be reckoned with.
Fyte was both their name and
their game. Their behavior was
unacceptable, they never had
school supplies, they were
always late, and it seemed like
they had only one uniform
to wear all year and it was
hardly ever clean.
Willa prayed for the
strength to make it
through what she was
sure would be her
most difficult year. She stood at the
door, planted a smile on her face and
greeted each child as they walked
in – even Tommy. She almost didn’t
recognize him. He was neat, clean,
and unnervingly quiet. There was
pain behind the crooked smile that
he returned. His eyes were empty and
void of emotion, like a part of him
was missing.
“What’s going on with Tommy?”
Willa asked Ms. Haynes, the teacher
next to her.
Didn’t you hear? He and Tammy were
placed in foster care – two separate
homes from what I hear. She’s not even
at this school, so we only have one of
them to deal with this year,” she stated
with enthusiasm.
“So, tell the class how you spent your
summer vacation,” Willa instructed.
The children were so excited to share
stories about their trips to the zoo,
amusement parks, water parks and
family outings. She had to bring
order to the class a few times to calm
them down.
They all seemed to have fun this
summer, all except Tommy. His story
was not about happy times. “I had to
move to a foster home, and I miss my
sister,” his voice cracked, and his eyes
filled with tears.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Tommy. We’ll
talk about it after recess if you’d like.”
He nodded his head and slumped
down in his desk while the others drew
pictures of their summer vacation.
Willa heard as much as her heart could
take when Tommy shared stories of
what led to his and Tammy’s removal
from their home. She was thankful
that Tommy was not rambunctious
like he had been in the past but seeing
the heartbroken shell of a boy was
hardly a consolation.
Willa searched the parish database
and discovered that Tammy was
enrolled in a school less than five miles
away. The next day she pulled some
strings and arranged transportation
for Tammy to attend school with
Tommy. Willa hoped she wouldn’t live
to regret it when she requested that
Tammy be placed in her class.
A few days later, Tammy surprised
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August 2019 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 7 • Number 1