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GIVING TILL IT HURTS: The kids just call her 'grandma'

WMOT

LEBANON, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  Imagine being so connected to an entire elementary school full of children, that they all simply call you “Grandma.”

In the continuing series Giving Till It Hurts, WMOT introduces you to mid-state residents who go above and beyond in service to the community. This latest story profiles a mid-state retiree who works almost daily at Southside Elementary in Lebanon.

WMOT found school volunteer Harriet Taylor working an arts and crafts table in the hallway outside the Kindergarten classrooms. Taking a child at a time, she’s helping all 90 students make snow men out of white socks, some cotton stuffing, a few buttons, and brightly colored ribbon.

The boy she’s working with at the moment is so excited he can’t stop giggling or bouncing straight up and down.

Southside teacher Linda Sharp says that, even for kindergartners, school has become far more academically demanding in recent years. She says teachers now rely on volunteers to fill in the gaps.

“We use them for arts and crafts,” Sharp explained, “we use them to work one-on-one with children who might be struggling a little bit, and we use them to listen to children read; just in lots of different capacities.”

Sharp says that while the school uses lots of volunteers, Harriet Taylor really goes the extra mile. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas she worked at the school every day.

Sharp says that at a time when schools are extremely security conscious, Grandma, has special clearance.

“All of our volunteers that come into the school, or anyone that visits the school, has to stop in the office and get a name tag…showing they have been approved to be in the school. And the name tag usually…has what location they’ll be working in. Grandma’s name tag says ‘Everywhere, Sharp explained.’”

Credit WMOT

When Grandma has time to take a break, she squeezes on to one of those tiny kindergarten chairs to talk to WMOT. The conversation begins with the notion Southside’s teachers have that Taylor has some kind of special needs-a-hug radar. They say she has a knack for zeroing in on those children who need extra attention.

“You can tell the ones that really, really need it, and to me that’s awesome,” Taylor gushes. “I mean I’d rather give a child a hug than just about anything.”

Beyond a simple hug, Grandma Taylor says a lot of children simply need an adult’s time and attention; someone to really listen to what they have to say.

“Just bringing them out of their little shell. Just ask them real simple questions. And you can tell the difference when they start talking about their dog. I mean, you know, just something they really like, but don’t have a chance to tell anybody about it,” she said.

While teacher Linda Sharp appreciates the hours Harriet Taylor volunteers, it’s that ability to clearly see what students need most that makes her special.

Credit WMOT

“I think she gets the fact that, while school is an academic place, it’s also a place where we provide for other needs that children have as well,” Sharp explained.

Grandma Taylor is 67 now, but has no intention of slowing down. She wanted WMOT to encourage other seniors to get out of the rocking chair, off the front porch, and Give Till it Hurts.