It’s All Elementary

Part 2 in a Series From Former Juvenile Justice Judge Larry Johnston 

In the September issue of EverythingBrevard, I wrote about my experiment of attending grade school after I retired as a juvenile judge. It was nice being a kid again, but I had an ulterior motive: I wanted to find out what motivated youngsters to stay on the straight and narrow.  

My method was to put myself on the fast track and visit grades 1 through 12 one day at a time and become — no be — a student in each class. It was an eye-opening experience. As I have said many times since then, I learned that you can be a great parent for a first grader, but a rotten one for a 10th grader.  

Parents must adapt to keep ahead of their children's rapid development.  

Follow me now.  

I entered first grade and sat in a chair whose legs were about 12 inches long, yet my head towered over all my classmates. First grade was chaos.  

There was one exception. A father came to sit with one girl right after lunch. Her eyes grew saucer-sized with pride. She was a princess in spirit and behavior, and those around them mimicked her gentle demeanor.  

My Message to Parents of First Graders: 

First graders need you close. Before deciding on a punishment, see if your mere presence solves the problem. Maybe your absence was punishment enough.

I attended second grade on Groundhog Day. This offered me the opportunity to draw and construct a little groundhog on a stick with a hole for him to pop out of. I still have it and smile with pride when I stumble across it in my desk.  

I will share with you only one of many similar examples of what happened in second grade.  

During a counting fake money exercise, one meek, small girl arrived at the wrong amount for her small group. A loud companion called her out for her mistake for all in class to hear. She shrank and remained withdrawn the rest of the day.  

My Message to Parents of Second Graders: 

Second graders have fragile egos and bruise easily. Offer your punishment and guidance in a confidential manner.  

Third grade is where I met Charlie. He devised a complicated scheme to trade a defective lead pencil for a red pen he wanted. Despite my nudging to let him know I saw what he was up to, he politely and with straight face made the exchange. The victim was happy until she blamed herself for breaking it. When she pointed it out, he offered no apology. A deal was a deal.  

My Message to Parents of Third Graders: 

Third graders now have real knowledge of human nature. They know how to manipulate and beguile you. Think before you act.  

In the next issue of Everything Brevard, you learn how I became a hero in fourth grade physical education class.  Yup. My team won the tug-of-war pull every time.        

Larry Johnston grew up in Brevard County, where his family lived on a boat during his high school years. He has held a Merchant Marine captain's license and flight instructor and airline transport pilot rating. He retired after 17 years as a circuit judge and now writes and travels throughout the U.S. gathering material with his wife in their motorhome. He can be reached at LarryJohnstonFL@aol.com.

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