Bikers entered a first-grade classroom the morning after a student referred to Eli, a seven-year-old boy, as “the fatherless kid.” Eli’s father was Danny, who passed away two years ago when a woman texting while driving hit his motorcycle. Eli still sleeps in his father’s riding jacket, which is quite large on him.
Last Friday, Eli and his classmates created Father’s Day cards. Eli spent three days making his card, drawing a motorcycle with two figures and writing “I MISS YOU DAD” at the top in green crayon. When it was time for the children to read their cards aloud, Eli stood at the front. As he held up his card, a boy named Carter laughed and shouted, “Why’d you make a card? You’re the fatherless kid!” Many classmates joined in the laughter. Eli did not cry, but instead folded his card and put it away. He did not speak for the rest of the day. When his grandfather picked him up, Eli asked if he still had a dad since Danny had died, prompting his grandfather to pull over for a moment.
That night, Eli’s grandfather called Ray, a friend of Danny’s. After listening, Ray asked when school started. The next morning at 7:45, the school principal rushed outside, waving her arms as forty motorcycles parked along the curb. Forty men and women in leather rode up the sidewalk, with Eli at the front wearing his father’s jacket.
As they entered the classroom one by one, silence fell over the students. The teacher grabbed her desk phone. Carter, the boy who laughed, suddenly turned pale as he realized the ninth biker was his own father, Mike Torres. Mike was a big man with a shaved head and graying beard. Eli’s grandfather recognized him from years ago but was surprised to learn he had a son in the same class as Eli.
Carter told Mike he attended the school since August, and it became clear Mike had not known. The line of bikers continued as Ray gently urged Mike inside. Mike stood by the coat hooks, watching his son closely. The principal, Mrs. Delgado, arrived last, looking unsure how to handle the situation. She asked who was in charge, and Ray identified himself. He stated that he spoke with the teacher, Ms. Hollis, who had agreed to allow them fifteen minutes.
Ms. Hollis, who was young and visibly embarrassed, admitted she should have informed Mrs. Delgado about the bikers. After the incident, she felt unsure of how to proceed. Mrs. Delgado observed the bikers against the classroom walls and the mixed reactions of the students before she finally agreed to the fifteen-minute visit. How do you think the presence of the bikers impacted the children in the classroom?
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Source: bikersbyte.com, by David Hog