Flag Day

Here's a tribute to Mr. Gus who fought for us:

He walked in briskly taking control of the room. There was a lot of energy radiating from his six feet three inches and two hundred and twenty-five pounds. His size fourteen boots braced his athletic build as he viewed his assignment.

Forty children age three to six played vigorously across the huge playroom, laughing, putting puzzles and Legos together and drawing. They looked diminutive in comparison to this Marine, but they were the target – the target of his affections.

Sergeant Gus Nienaber agreed to teach the Kindergarten-First Grade as a substitute teacher. Mr. Gus is, after all, a licensed teacher too. He arrived back in the states from Iraq too late to find a high school history teaching job for this year so he subbed for Miss Rachel, a five feet, hundred pound size zero rock climber who normally calls this classroom her niche.

As a Marine, with the distinction of being the gunner in the tank that led the Jessica Lynch rescue, he is disciplined and a gentleman. As a teacher, he blends the world of knowledge and experience with a worldliness that marks a true professional.

“OK, you boys in dress up – find something manly to do.” The three boys sporting everything from velvet cocktail dresses and heels to Elfin magic hats and cat suits, quickly left the costumes behind and headed out to the building zone.

Dress up is something boys love as well as girls, but somehow, when there’s a man around, the boys would rather play with him and do boy stuff than the ordinary fare. Make believe is a classic tool for increasing the imagination, but make believe is not limited to any single play station.

“I’m Mr. Gus,” said the tall good looking Marine to parents and children in a voice that seemed to climb out of the boots. He held out his giant hand and shook hands with the most delicate young children. They loved it. His gregarious, affectionate, approach is something we are painfully missing in the early childhood arena.

We watched this young man perform one task with the children after another: math, reading, handwriting, science, literature, art (Mr. Gus is a fine artist). We realized what very young children miss during the day – men. Men are an incredible asset to rearing very young children, an asset that unfortunately is simply absent.

There was nothing this devoted young man wouldn’t do. As a teacher, he should be able to go into any classroom and teach, and last week, he proved that he is well equipped to teach any child.

One of his math objectives was to teach balance, so he had the children begin a Popsicle stick house that when finished will weigh nearly a hundred pounds and have thousands of Popsicle sticks. “I don’t care what it looks like; that’s not important. If they have a good time thinking about building and balance, it will be a good thing, that is if we can clean up the glue.”

Part of any good early childhood curriculum includes story time. Mr. Gus provided story time, and while reading the “Paper Bag Princess.” Mr. Gus hesitated suddenly, “Ronald,” he offered the name as a question. “You girls; never go out with anyone named Ronald.” It was just plain funny, off the cuff, the girls roared with laugher. It was the tone of the week – communication and laughter the kids really participated in.

Most young men would have fled in the first two hours. Mr. Gus seemed to love it and finished out the week with a smile on his face and a stack of refrigerator art, a lot of hugs and a lot of parents who think this young man hung the moon.