Facts Of A Dorm Mother's Life

 It was on a warm day in September 1976 when I arrived at my new job at Kentucky School f/t Deaf. I had no idea what I was getting myself into... but I knew if I did not work out  I could move on.  However, not in a million years could I have ever imagined that this school and its beautiful children would one day take control of my heart and hold me hostage for thirty school years. I had never worked in a place that was so supportive of the workers than the staff at Kentucky School for the Deaf.

Housemothers are heroes. They must be bold leaders, counselors, friends, disciplinarians, (which was very hard for me to do) and tireless workers. They also must be an encourager even when they are discouraged and frustrated themselves. They stay up late and get up early. They must be creative and consistently excited about the duties they are presenting. In many ways and sad to say, they are also among the least compensated. Some of the best workers I knew had to resign because they could not support their family on the salary they were getting.

A good Houseparent is a treasure, indeed!  I learned very fast that you couldn’t come with a prearranged agenda and expect to change the system. The Good Houseparent tells the truth: if you want to please your students and gain their respect be up front and honest with them.  Children can see through a phony right away. Many times before adults can. It is as if they have a built in radar system that knows what is for real.

I learned after only a few days on the job I must seek God’s guidance and let His word be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105.) When you step on the campus of a Deaf School, you go into a whole different world. It is as if you have gone into a country where you do not speak their language. You can feel very lost and alone. Oh for sure, there were sign language classes for me to attend, and work shops for learning skills. I was not thrown to the wolves so to speak without any support. I worked for a very loving and supportive group of people that were there for me if  I needed them. However, it was the children that taught me the most. I learned to love them instantly and I always felt that they cared for me in return. You see, if you love children and show them that love they will return the favor.

My first assignment was in a girls dorm with around sixty teenage girls from the age of thirteen to twenty-one with four housemothers living in a two story dorm. 
 If you can remember a Television program in the late 1970s and early1980s  titled, Facts of Life, that   could have been us...No matter what we were doing when this program came on every girl in the dorm ran to the TV room to this program. We could all relate to it.
 Mrs. Garrett, was a mentor to her girls and at times they took her for granted. Of course my girls did me as well, they are teenagers, duh! Over the years we watched Mrs Garrett guide the girls into adulthood.   

Following in the example of dorm mom Edna Garrett, I looked forward to seeing how my dorm daughters lives played out in their future. I prayed that I could steer them towards maturing into gentle, loving young women who desired to serve God and others.That they will in time forget my shortcomings and always remember that I loved them unconditionally. That they saw in me the love of God for them through Christ Jesus.

I hear from some of those young ladies from time to time. They grew into beautiful women. Raised nice families and have a good life. I like to think I had a very small part in molding their lives to be the fine citizens they have become. The saddest part about being a dorm mother is when your students graduate and leave school they are no longer a part of your life. They go back to their real family and you only become a memory...I only hope that my students remember me with only good memories as that is how I remember them.


To be continued...