For some reason, the color that stands out from my childhood is yellow. My mother told me early on that I looked terrible in yellow and shouldn't wear it. To this day, I don't wear yellow clothes. Then, my parents used to take me to an elderly lady's home to purchase National Geographic Magazines. It was a really big deal because the magazines cost fifty cents each and seemed more valuable than gold. When I close my eyes, I can see the room where the lady who could hardly move kept her magazines. It was all yellow. The woman seemed reluctant to let go of her prizes, but she did. For fifty cents. Yellow is a happy, warm color that promises hope.
My parents bought the magazines so that I would succeed in school. I used them for projects, and yes, I cut out pictures. It seemed sacriligious to me at the time. National Geographic was like the gold standard. The pictures were awesome. Violating the magazines just seemed wrong. Yet, my parents worked hard for their money, and they bought the magazines so I would succeed in school.
Spending time and money on kids makes a big difference. Of course, sometimes the parents go overboard. Yet, I'd rather see that then the other way around. A few years ago, my kindergarten grandson had to make a stick horse. His horse was pretty authentic and had the eyes on one side of the head. It looked kid made. He did the work with assistance from his mom and dad. I still laugh when I think of some of the other horses. They ranged from looking like Barbie to one horse that had simply been purchased from the store. Some were so beautiful that I knew the parents had done all of the work. The dad who brought his son in with the store bought version looked so proud that I just knew he had not carefully read the details of the assignment.:) The point is that all of the kids had stick horses. Their parents cared enough to make sure they came to school prepared.
As a sixth grade teacher, I frequently had students who came to school without supplies and assignments. Some looked exhausted since they were the ones caring for younger siblings. Perhaps the little ones were going to school with stick horses, and my students were the ones who had made sure their brothers and sisters had their assignments completed.
Some kids aren't seeing yellow. For reasons sometimes unknown, they don't get the help they need to succeed in school.