Get to know a student: Nikki's backpack - never know what your going to find!

I have a seven year old student named Nikki. She is the reason in which I do not completely hate my job. She suffers from a seizure disorder as well as a developmental delay. So, Nikki acts like she is two years old a lot of the time. Sometimes she acts younger and actually goo-goo ga-gas like a new born. She most likely acts this way, not because of a birth defect, but due to the unimaginable emotional trama that she has had to endure within the first four years of her life. There is no need to go into her past, it is far too depressing. When Nikki is on her medication she is a delightful girl who loves to play, sing, dance and color. Later in this blog you will get a feel for what Nikki is Like OFF her medication. Her smile could be used as a tool to lighten up a terrorist - too bad we could not make that happen. Every teacher has their favorites; Nikki is mine.
It is always a fun and exciting adventure for me when I see Nikki get off the short bus in the morning because I know that soon I will sift through her ratty old backpack and look for the next curious thing she totes to school. Once I found a Cheetos bag in her backpack. I thought to myself, "self, why would she come with snacks, we have Cheetos here?" Well, the Cheetos bag was gutted and she had all her jewelry in the bag (which I gave her as rewards for good behavior throughout the year). Mmmmm, I wanted to eat all that jewelry, it smelled so cheezy! The craziest thing I ever found was what I happened upon last week. I wondered why her backpack was so dang heavy. It was due to the fact that it was FILLED with other people's mail. She must have ransacked the mailboxes in her trailer park before getting on the school bus. She did not just have some mail in her backpack, it was buldging. I had to step outside of my classroom to conceal my laughter. Then, I had to straighten myself out and go back inside to tell her that that was wrong, as well as a federal offense. You just can't make this stuff up.