Chapter 4 Transition
The drive to Lakewood Preschool was mostly quiet as Kate dozed off in her car seat, while M.W. was reading a book, while D.W. just hummed to herself quietly, soon they were waving goodbye to their Grandma as she drove towards Kate's Daycare.
D.W. lets the smile that she had on her face fall as she lets out a tired sigh, which causes her twin to look at her with concern.
"You know I thought for the longest time, that this was all just one bad joke that Arthur was playing, but seeing him like that, was scary and real."
M.W. snorts humorlessly, "While I understand that he pranks and jokes around most of the time, he wouldn't do something cruel like this."
From their place at the picnic table, Timmy, Tommy and James overheard their conversation and decided to call them over to join.
Once the girls were sat down James started to speak.
"Just to let you know, I believe what my sister did was wrong and she is on thin ice with our Mom and Dad, right now she is grounded and is doing school on online, but if she slips up once more, she is going to stay with our Grandma."
M.W. thought about and it hit her, "That explains it, your sister was friends with that group of kids that look scary and mean, but I know that Mike hangs out with them too, but I guess our Mom said something to him about it and he was really upset by it that he is giving Mom the silent treatment."
Timmy whistles lowly and says, "Whoa that's harsh."
Soon they quickly moved on to other things to talk about until it was time to go inside.
During circle time, Tommy whispers to D.W. "Hey is it true that Binky guy is part of that scary group?"
D.W. nods as she joins in singing the song with everyone else.
Later it was lunchtime, everyone was sitting in their own little groups.
"Does your brother know who you are?" Sarah asked curious.
M.W. looks at her, saying. "Yes, he does, but he still can not talk or walk without a walker, just the other day he tried to run up to Michael if it wasn't for him catching Arthur, he would have face-planted, of course when they got him back into bed, Arthur gestures for him to check his bed for monsters, he gave Michael the puppy eyes with a grumble he checks and tells him it was all clear."
D.W. pipes up, "Hey, do you remember the times Arthur would check under our beds for monsters, Micheal used to get so annoyed with him about it, but he just let it go, I guess I never really knew that I would miss that, I guess I was so caught up in annoying him that I never really took time to appreciate what he did for us."
M.W. goes to comfort her as the girl is wiping away tears from her eyes.
The rest of the afternoon was somber for D.W. as she remembers and cringes at some of the things between Arthur and her, realizing that she needed to learn to be kinder to him in future and others as well.
Meanwhile at Lakewood Michael was getting a book from his locker when he was nearly startled out of his mind by Buster standing behind him.
"Hey Mike, I have been looking for you, do you know when Arthur is going to be home, I would love to bring Ashley by to welcome him home."
Michael sighs, trying to not roll his eyes at the annoying rabbit, but he answers the questions.
"Two weeks, and I will have to ask my folks about it, also what do you have in your hands?" he asked when he saw the flyer along with several put all along the schools hallways.
Just then the loudspeaker started up and the voice of Mr. Haney spoke.
"Students and Staff of Lakewood Elementary, as I am sure you have noticed the flyers about the school's cafeteria and the new rules and changes we are implementing."
The lunchroom or cafeteria is often the heart of any school campus, a place for all students of all ages to gather together to enjoy a nutritious meal before getting back to class. While these scenes may look great in movies, they can quickly turn into absolute chaos. This is where lunchroom management comes in.
Lunchroom management helps create order and routine in the lunchroom. This is essential to help encourage good student behavior so that they can focus on having a quiet meal rather than experiencing external distractions.
The Importance of Lunchroom Management
As mentioned above, there are significant health and academic benefits to having a good meal during the day.
Even the smallest distraction can throw everything out of balance. The role of lunchroom management is to make sure that every student can take advantage of those benefits for the rest of the school day.
Students tend to be incredibly social and talkative when they're together. While this is great for socializing, it can quickly get out of hand. This can result in a crowded, noisy environment that creates stress for everyone involved.
So how do you keep kids quiet in the cafeteria?
Lunchroom management can provide some peace and order. It helps create a comfortable environment where students can enjoy a meal, chat with friends and return to class without major distractions affecting the rest of the day.
The Best Lunchroom Management Ideas
Lunchroom management is an effective way to improve school behavior. It helps emphasize the benefits of having a nutritious meal during the day without deterring students in any way. The best lunchroom management ideas use technology and other modern techniques to help guide student behavior.
This is a more subtle approach that can be incredibly effective. The subtle approach is designed to guide students toward the right path instead of screaming at them to follow instructions. This approach also incorporates education so students understand why they are doing certain things — and not doing others.
In this way, you can help control student behavior while also increasing student engagement. At the end of the day, you'll be left with happier students and happier teachers!
How Do You Control a Lunchroom?
Controlling the lunchroom is essential. This is because having the right controls in place will help you manage the entire process from start to finish. This means less noise, fewer disruptions and a more organized experience for both students and teachers.
Here are a few helpful lunchroom management ideas to help control the cafeteria effectively.
1. Assign Seats
When it comes to leading kids into the lunchroom, consider assigning seats. This means that every child knows exactly where they need to go as soon as they enter the room. Having each seat assigned saves time and creates order in the room.
This also reduces the talking and debating that often comes with finding a seat. Instead of trying to sit with friends and struggling for space, kids will have allocated spaces. This way, no kid gets left behind and every child has a designated seat.
2. Embrace Lines
Lines are an incredibly effective way to control children as they enter the lunchroom. Lines help create order and can help kids understand the process of getting their food from the cafeteria. This helps keep them patient and structured as they wait for their lunches.
While lines are great for keeping things orderly, long lines can have the opposite effect. This is because keeping kids in lines for long periods of time can cause frustration and boredom to set in. This creates restlessness, noise and disruptions that can quickly cause chaos.
3. Implement a Cashless Campus
If kids have to pay for their school lunches, the time it takes to pay and receive change can hold up the entire line. If the line is inefficient, it can cause frustration and boredom in the lunchroom. This is why going cashless is one of the best lunchroom management ideas.
Cashless services mean that students can pay with the tap of a card or by just using their names. The system keeps track of what they bought so parents can pay for items later. Parents can also pay in advance so kids are using credit to buy their meals.
Having a cashless school system improves efficiency in the lunchroom. This means that kids get their food faster, lines move faster and the environment remains calm. Another great feature of this system is that parents can keep track of what kids buy at school.
Along with the bill, the system keeps a record of everything each child orders. Parents can use this information to help guide their children's nutritional decisions. If a child is having too much unhealthy food, parents can start encouraging healthier alternatives.
4. Provide Visual Cues
Introduce visual cues to help kids communicate more effectively. For younger kids, having colored cones at the end of the table is a great way to indicate when they finish their lunches. A simple green or red cone is all they need to let teachers know when they're done.
The act of presenting the red cone can help motivate kids to finish their food.
5. Build a Stable Routine
The most effective way to control student cafeteria behavior is through routines. Creating an interactive, engaging routine is an great way to keep students on track throughout the day. This includes the lunchtime routine.
If the entire lunchtime process is a stable routine, kids will learn it quickly. This means that they'll know where to go and what to do every day. The routine results in less disruption and a more comfortable, quiet environment for everyone.
How Do You Keep Kids Quiet in the Cafeteria?
The lunchroom can quickly descend into chaos, from long lines to children shouting across the room. So, it's important to have rules and procedures in place to keep children organized and quiet. With the right management ideas, children can enjoy their lunchtime routine without having to make a lot of noise.
Here's a quick look at the best lunchroom management ideas to help keep children quiet and comfortable in the cafeteria.
6. Seat Kids on One Side
When it comes to keeping kids quiet, seat placement is incredibly important. Seating kids across tables from each other causes them to project their voices to be heard. Instead, seat everyone on one side of the table so they don't have to talk as loud.
This can help keep the overall noise level down.
7. Play Music
If you want to lower the talking volume in the lunchroom, consider playing some music in the background. The music can help provide the space with background noise so kids don't feel pressured to talk. This helps create and maintain a comfortable environment for everyone.
8. Use Routine Scheduling
Sticking to a routine is the best way to keep things orderly. This routine can start from the beginning of lunchtime all the way to the end of the day. Having a set routine in place means that students know what to expect and won't need to ask the same questions over and over again.
9. Reduce Waiting Times
Waiting time is usually the biggest cause of noise and disruption. The best way to minimize noise is to streamline everything in the lunchroom. This means that kids come in, get food, and find their seats quickly.
The constant movement means that they don't have time to stand and chat. Going cashless is the best way to speed things up in the lunchroom.
10. Enforce Simple Rules
When it comes to making rules for cafeteria behavior, keeping things simple is always the best option. This is because kids can understand and stick to simple rules more effectively. You can also print and post simple rules in the lunchroom for everyone to see.
How Do You Engage Students in the Cafeteria?
Engaging with students includes educating them about food, answering questions they may have and encouraging them to choose healthy lifestyles. This is an important part of the lunchtime routine as it can help set students up for success in the future. At its core, engagement helps make children feel more influential in the entire process.
Here are a few innovative lunchroom management ideas to help keep students engaged.
11. Play, Then Eat
Scheduling lunch after playtime is a great way to encourage kids to eat all of their food. This is because playtime requires kids to burn lots of energy, leaving them more hungry than usual. This added hunger means that they're more likely to finish all their food, vegetables included!
12. Make Monthly Menus
Meal planning is a great way to get adults to stick to healthy diets and there are significant benefits to using the same concept for school lunches. This is because meal planning allows students to look ahead and see what future lunches will look like.
In this way, they can prepare and get excited about lunch in advance. If they have any dietary restrictions or prefer an alternative, they will have time to let someone know. In this way, they will never be caught off guard without something to eat that day.
Meal planning a month in advance also enables your kitchen staff to stock up on ingredients effectively. This way, your entire cafeteria can run like clockwork!
13. Conduct Polls
If you want to find out what foods your students love, the best way to do that is to ask them! Hosting polls is incredibly efficient and lets students communicate what they like and don't like. Polls are accurate because they take everyone's opinions into consideration.
This is a great lunchroom management idea if you're thinking of expanding the menu. By hosting a simple poll, you'll know whether it's a good idea.
14. Showcase Local Ingredients
Lunchtime is a great opportunity to highlight how food works and where our food comes from. This is great for showcasing the local goods and ingredients that come from your community. Highlighting this information can help kids engage with their food and even request healthy, local foods when they go home!
15. List Ingredients with Meals
One last lunchroom management idea is whenever you're making a meal in the cafeteria, consider including a list of ingredients along with it. Do this by creating a poster next to the kitchen or printing ingredient lists for each student. Understanding what ingredients go into making their lunches can help kids appreciate the meals they're about to eat. It can also help them learn how food is made and encourage them to enjoy healthy food.
"And also our most important change is that there will a new school program with the Special Education Students starting soon, they will be a part of our school mainstream curriculum, I expect you all to be thoughtful and welcoming towards them, also the school old playground is out of commission until it is replaced and rules will be put in place soon."
Michael said nothing as he heard the sounds of the kids around him whispering and pointing at him, he just took a flyer and walked to class.
As he made his way toward his desk he felt something hit the back of his head, without looking back he just sat down ignoring the snickering from his upper classmates, slumping a little.
"Hey M, what is wrong?" a slightly older girl asked concerned.
"Barbara, do you think I made a mistake in skipping ahead?" Micheal said softly.
The girl just shakes her head, "No, I know that you enjoy the challenge, why are you asking?"
The younger boy sighs wary as he looks toward his friend, his eye bright with unshed tears.
"Ever since I skipped ahead, I feel like Arthur and I have drifted apart, I mean, what if I hadn't been there that day, he might have..." he trails off leaving the words unsaid.
Barbara puts her arm around the upset boy genius, "M, I want you to listen to me, you need to stop beating yourself up about this, his accident wasn't your fault, you two are just finding your own paths in life, but you need to remember that you will always be his big brother and protector, if I recall you guys were always together, sure you had your issues, but you still have time to work on that."
"But he isn't the same anymore, he acts more like a toddler now, barely able to walk without a walker or wheelchair, we has to watch what he eats or drinks, unable to speak or control his emotions, plus he has to wear diapers as well," Micheal states sadly.
Barbara sighs, "It's a lot, but he is still your brother no matter what, he loves you."
Without replying Michael pulls away gently, giving her a small sad smile, as he pulls out his books.
Meanwhile back home...
Jane was nursing a mild headache as she finally hung up the phone, "Well, Neal, George's father is coming around to help us with the remodel, he even going to bring around some of his friends to help, because of the time crunch."
Dave nods, "Good, I just got off the phone with Ed, he referred us to a friend of his, named Ronnie, a customized car salesman who works with people with disabilities and their families, he said that he might give us a good deal on it."
Jane sighs, "Am I a bad person for thinking that all it is all too much, working from home, I mean we have an 8-year-old genius, two pre-K girls, a toddler who starting to walk soon, plus another 8-year-old with a toddler mindset and disabilities, anyone would have run for the hills." she starts to cry as everything hit her hard, Dave was quick to embrace her, whispering words of comfort as she cried.
When they heard the doorbell ring, Dave carefully pulled away as he went to answer, while Jane cleaned up quickly.
Opening the door, he greets Neal and his friends."
"You guys sure got here fast, thanks again," Dave says humbly.
Neal just claps him on the back with a kind smile saying, "No thanks needed, now since we only have 4 weeks to get this done, we need to see the layout of both rooms and see what needs to be done, then we will go to the town of Lakewood and get the permits tomorrow."
With that Dave and Jane talk with the crew about what they need for the remodel for a good while, Neal looks over the house's blueprints, making sure to take note of what could be removed or had to stay.
"How much is it?" Dave asked.
Neal looks up at his friend, his expression serious, as he says, "Nothing, and before you refuse, I am doing this for your son because he is a good kid."
Jane was near tears again at his kindness as Dave thanked him.
The next 4 weeks were filled with chaos as the sounds of construction filled the Reed household, while the kids mostly hung out with friends or family while that was going on, they were excited about the new van, well the girls were, Michael just nodded with mild approval, they took pictures of everything to show Arthur so that he could get used to the changes, while he was making great strides towards recovery, he was still having trouble with talking and expressing his emotions, diapers were practically permanent, eating was still somewhat of an issue, but for the most part he was getting better.
Soon enough, the Reed parents were in a meeting about Arthur's discharge, what to expect, and how to deal with it.
"So from these reports and what I have seen with Arthur myself, he has greatly recovered well enough to go home, but I will recommend that is he sees a speech therapist at school and home, since he is not speaking yet, along with his P.T. he will have leg braces to help him stand and walk if he is not in his wheelchair, the hand brace he will need to wear at night to help prevent cramping and pain, also just to warning you, he might not settle down back at home right away, I would have him sleep with music and a teddy bear at night or during a nap, also because it is a safety issue he will need guard rails to keep him in bed at least until he can walk without help in case he falls, I would invest in baby monitors for him."
The parents nod in agreement, with Jane speaking up, "Way ahead of you, Arthur has a teddy bear that sits in the old bedroom that he shared with Michael, also we still have the baby monitors from when our youngest was a baby, we will set it up in his new room soon."
Dr. Jason nods with approval at hearing this and pulls out a few pieces of paper.
"Here is a list of available caregivers that are ready and willing to help with young Arthur, also as you can see we have placed an order for Arthur's hospital bed to arrive at your home later today, all ready to be set up in his room."
Dave nods, "Good, because we also have an order for 4 new beds and desks for the rest of the kids as a surprise for them."
The Doctor nods, "Now then before you go..."
He reaches down under his desk, pulling out a plastic bag with an all too familiar cow-stuffy covered in various stains, "This cow of his, needs a good wash, also I would bring some warm and comfortable, easily removable clothing for him when you bring him home tomorrow, also I would look into some adaptive clothing for him soon."
After agreeing they went to visit Arthur real quick, before heading home.
Just as the Reed parents drove up the driveway, they were agreed by a moose from the delivery company.
"This the Read residence?" he asked.
David nods, "Yes."
While David talks with the head of the delivery, Jane directs the crew towards the living room where they quickly set up the hospital bed in the now-new bedroom
Janes goes to see where her husband is, she goes outside to see the two men still talking.
"So aside from the hospital bed, are the rest of the stuff here as well?" Dave asked.
The Moose nods, "Yes, 1 hospital bed, 4 new regular double beds, desks, here is the invoice." he hands the piece of paper.
Soon everything was moved in and set up to surprise the rest of the kids.
Later after picking up the kids from school, the younger kids were excited when they saw their new beds and desks, Michael just gave a small smile of approval, after doing their school assignments and putting them away for tomorrow, they were soon sitting at the table eating dinner.
After a loud clearing of her throat, Jane starts to speak, "Arthur is coming home tomorrow afternoon." she smiles when the girls cheer, and Michael has a look of relief in his eyes.
"Anyways, so while your Dad and I are going to get him, your Grandma is going to be picking you all up tomorrow, that means Michael, we will need you to get the girls ready for bed tomorrow evening since we will be busy getting Arthur settled down for his first night home, he will likely be tired because of his medications, so please don't surround him too much yet, so when it is bedtime, I will be putting on sleep music for him to fall asleep too.
Michael nods, "Okay, Mom."
The younger siblings agree as well, the rest the evening went by quickly and soon enough all four kids were sleeping in their new beds, while the parents were busy preparing for Arthur's homecoming, tomorrow.
"I have Arthur's favorite winter green jacket, brown boots with socks, and a red hat, along with those green winter pants, I also have a simple sweater that he can wear under it, since it will be chilly tomorrow, also I have clothes for him to change into before bed, tomorrow evening."
Jane stops rabbling when she notices Dave sitting on the bed with a sad look on his face, looking at a small stuffed bunny in his hands.
She puts a hand on his shoulder, "I am sorry that he didn't like it, but given what happened it's no wonder he is afraid."
David sighs, "I know, I just wish he could talk to us about it and we could find a way to fix it, I mean what's gonna happen when Buster wants to see him and he freaks out, that will not end well."
Jane frowns, "That is why we have all this help, so that he can learn to speak again and maybe we can show him that not all rabbits are going to harm him."
David sighs heavily, before nodding in agreement with her, before he starts to pack up the clothes and things they need for tomorrow.
Meanwhile at the MacDonald household...
Molly was sitting in her now basic bare bedroom, sitting at her desk trying in vain to write the letter for Arthur, but the growing piles of crumpled papers her frustrating attempts.
Just then she heard a knock on her doorframe, she looked slightly and saw that it was her Mom.
"Melina, your first day of school is next Monday, I hope that this time of reflection has helped you see the errors of your ways, just remember that you are on probation with the school, and if we hear of any more incidents or calls from the school about any bad behavior or rule-breaking by you, we will pull your from school and send you to live with your Grandmother, am I understood?" she states sternly.
"Yes, Ma'am," Molly said, the older woman nodded, before closing the door, just then a tear streamed down the younger girl's face, as she cried silently to herself, praying that Arthur's family would forgive her one day.
Later that afternoon Davied and Jane were making there way towards their youngest son's hospital room, only to be stopped by Dr. Jason.
"David, Jane, may I have a word?" He asked gesturing towards a private waiting area.
"What's wrong? Did something happen with Arthur?" Jane asked her mind going to the worst.
Dr. Jason saw their anxieties and was quick to reassure them. "We had to remove the bandages from his head earlier this morning, but because he wasn't able to sit still or cooperate, we had to give him a mild sedative, he will be a little sleepy when you see him, but it should wear off before tonight so it will be safe for you give him his medications, anyways when you go in, I want to prepare you that while his injury has healed it had left a scar that will hopefully fade with time, you will need to be careful with keeping the skin clean and dry, so when you bathe him, just take extra care with his head."
The parents were relieved to hear that. "We will make sure to take care of that, now can we take our son home now?" David asked.
The doctor nods, "Yes, but first I need to tell you that I have Arthur's wheelchair that he can sit in on his way home so that he can get used to it, it also comes with a tray that can be used for play, schoolwork, or therapy. Also, he will need to come back in two weeks to meet with both Dr. Bailey and Dr. Ire for follow-up appointments to see how he is doing before I forget here the new glasses for him, Dr. Ire is busy with another patient and asked me to give these to you to give to Arthur." He pulls out a pair of goggle-type glasses that were made with Arthur's prescription. .
Jane takes them, "Thank you."
Meanwhile, back in Arthur's hospital room, the boy was sleeping until he suddenly was pulled from sleep, but the sounds of muffled voices just outside his door.
Soon the door was opened and he saw his Mommy and Daddy coming in, without much thought, he reached out towards them in the universal sign of wanting to be picked up and cuddled.
David was quick to do so, Arthur just snuggled into the man's strong arms, only to let out a whimper when he was set down to be changed and redressed but he quickly was given his chewie to suck on which was quick to soothe him back to sleep as he was scrapped into his new wheelchair with a thick blanket wrapped around his legs, he barely remembers the ride home or when he was put into his new bed, he was barely awake when he was brought to the dining room for dinner, he notices his siblings, but he was much to sleepy to interact with them, as he was fed his meal, which he was barely able to finish, he fussed a bit and soon he was picked up by his Daddy after a quick clean up, he was soon changed, put in his PJ's and sitting in his Daddy's lap as the man read to him after he let out another jaw cracking yawn, Daddy decided it was time for bed, after taking the yucky medicines, he was soon tucked into bed by both parents, giving him a kiss good night and putting on some soft space music to help him fall asleep quickly.
Michael watched his parents with Arthur, both relieved that his brother was finally home, but at the same time the full reality of what he saw, finally sunk in, the sadness and anxiety hit him like a wave, and he silently ran up to his room, when he closed the door, he looks around the room and it felt too big to him, without thinking he grabs his blanket and pillows makes a nest on the floor, practically cocooning himself inside of it as he cries himself to sleep, which was fitful and restless, filled with nightmares and memories of the accident.
The next morning found Michael half awake as he sluggishly walked to school, Arthur was happy to see him that morning, giving him a hug and sloppy kiss on the cheek, before he was helped into his high chair and full body bib for breakfast, M.W. had to give D.W. a warning look as Arthur tried to eat his food, which was a messy affair, Kate of course was just oblivious to this, Michael just grabbed his toast and said his goodbyes as he made his way to school.
"Hey M, whole you look like crud," Barbara says as she walks beside her younger classmate.
Michael simply just gave her a not-so-friendly hand gesture which the older girl laughed off, "So how's your little bro?" she asked.
The boy just shrugs his shoulders, stating, "He is finally home, and seems to be happy for the moment."
"Well that is good right?" she asked, again the boy just shrugs as an answer.