From the time I was about twelve I worked as a waitress.  There was just one small café in the small town in North Dakota we lived in.  In some ways it was truly wonderful work because I got to listen in on the conversations of all the folks that came in.  There were political issues and arguments, debates about the weather, the crops and gossip, too, that affected so many families.

It was such a small town and it was the only café so teachers, farmers, people passing through (always passing through — nobody ever stayed) local merchants, and the families on Sunday who came in after church were our regular customers.  On Saturday night all the farmers came to town to do their weekly shopping and to sell their wares.  Sometimes none of the waitresses wanted to work on Saturday night because “everyone” was in town.  Cars and trucks lined Main Street and the kids sat on the fenders and talked and flirted for hours.

Because I came from a large, poor family my parents did not pay much attention to my groaning about working and I did plenty of talking and socializing while I worked.  The café closed at 2.a.m. and it was a long walk home, especially in the winter.  Lately, I have been thinking about how well my work as a young waitress has served me in my life.  I learned how to listen, not only to get the order right, but to people life stories…what was going on in their lives, who was not well, how the crops were doing.  I learned to remember to go back to the tables and make sure everything was okay.  I learned to balance six plates on my arm gracefully and to smile even when folks were grumpy. After the place closed it had to be cleaned and scrubbed before we could go home …

All this reminiscing reminds me of two words I’ve been using in my workshops with teachers lately.  They concern what I think is missing in schools today: Hospitality and Company.  You can advertise all you want about “Good Eats” and “Home Cooking” but how people are treated and how well we meet their needs is really what the “proof of the pudding is in the eating” is all about.   Good intentions are important but when you get right down to it — it’s the results that count.

I’ve never been afraid of hard work and sacrifice and I sure picked a profession that provides plenty of both.  Working hard in the service of others whether we are nourishing their appetites or souls — brings a real sacredness to the work we do.

( This article in its entirety is part of Vol. 6 – June 2010 “Starting in a Corner” eMagazine from Bev Bos, Michael Leeman and Turn the Page Press.  For more information go to:  www.bevbos.com )



So many people have turned to me for answers and so often I feel I don’t have their answer.  I have paid attention, wondered and thought about the needs of children for so many years and still do not know how to answer some questions. Letter on the last day of school continued »

(copied from www.turnthepage.com)

Dear friends,

“You have to come over here, right now!”

It was Bev calling from the preschool to insist that I come see what the kids had created at the art area. I dropped what I was doing and hustled over. Good thing I only live two minutes away because as I drove up I saw that Bev and six of the children had been sitting out in front of the school watching for me the whole time. As I pulled up I could tell from their excitement that whatever it was, it was going to be good. Artist — A Day in the Life continued »

(Copied from www.turnthepage.com)

Dear friends,

I wonder if this has ever happened to you?  You do something really great with the kids and after a while you “move on” looking for that next great thing.  This constant searching for that something different is what makes us good at what we do and it also keeps teaching alive for us.  But there is danger here, too.  You might just completely forget how much fun something was for the children.  It happened to me just recently. Cabbage Juice and Dragons continued »

Dear friends,

Have you ever used the phrase when talking to a parent or visitor “not only are the kids learning here but I learn a lot from watching them?” In a well structured early childhood environment where the children have ownership over what they do, this is bound to happen. From watching the kids during their play I have become much better over the years at paying attention to the details and to pointing out stages of development to others. Like the time I was standing next to a parent while we watched a couple girls swinging. What about Me continued »

Dear friends,

On a recent trip to Long Beach, CA we stopped in at a small bookstore. Being in the publishing business, this is not that unusual, in fact, it’s something we do as often as we can. During our travels we look forward to the chance to support neighborhood businesses and one this particular day we had a marvelous time while doing so. We chatted for a while with the owner — commiserating a bit about the sad state that most small bookstores find themselves in — but we also talked excitedly and enthusiastically about some of the wonderful children’s books that are available today. One such book that we agreed was a magnificent example of a great children’s book was written by Alison Megee — its title — “Someday.” It is without a doubt the most touching ode to motherhood that we have ever set our eyes on. Someday continued »

Dear friends,

We have two books here at Turn the Page to share with you today. They are wonderful examples of how diverse the message in children’s picture books can be. Children’s books lend themselves so perfectly in allowing artists and authors to bring a great variety of stories — not just to young children, but to the world in general. One of them is author/illustrator Greg Foley’s first attempt at this and he has produced a gem of a book that is especially perfect for the younger ones. The second book is a retelling of an ancient by timeless story by Jude Daly and is one of those rare children’s books that can be appreciated by people of all ages. Two Books continued »

Dear friends,

Sometimes I think what I know about young children could be put in a small backpack, so I make a habit of listening for words of wisdom from children, parents and other adults. A very thoughtful Dad in the preschool told me a story one day that took place when he was a teacher. He told a professor, in a very anxious moment, that he really wanted all the kids he worked with to learn how to read. The professor told him that he could only be “faithful to the process.” I have thought about this everyday since he told me. So, what I have to tell you is not about reading but just a couple of stories about trust, keeping quiet (not interfering) and about kids and having faith in the process. faithful to the process continued »