Miss O’Blair Has Lost Her Hair
Miss O'Blair is pretty and fun and smart and has no hair.
Listen to the audio book
Two sleepy eyes peek at sun on the sill,
Ten toes meet bare floor and feel quite a chill.
Summer is gone with hot days at the lake,
Fall winds are blowing bright leaves to be raked.
Becca gets dressed in new clothes from the store,
Crunches her cornflakes with no time for more.
Kisses mom’s cheek, saying, “See you tonight,”
Skips down the sidewalk till school is in sight.
This year her classroom sits on the top floor,
Climbing the stairs, Becca peers through the door.
Friends gather round, and the bell starts the day,
Laughs fill the hall where their jackets will stay.
Desks hold their names, and she soon spies her seat,
“Hi,” teacher says, “so we finally meet.”
Bright eyes are blue, and her smile is sincere,
Miss O’Blair beams, “We’ll have such a great year!”
“Oh,” Becca squeaks, with eyes glued to the scene,
Tries not to stare, which she knows would be mean.
New teacher’s head wearing so little hair,
Shines like a light bulb that’s left to hang bare.
Becca feels worried but keeps it inside,
When school is over, she dashes outside.
Scuffs home through leaf piles, tummy a-rumbling,
Practices questions, quietly mumbling.
Back home there’s supper with fruit for dessert,
Baby blows bubbles of food on his shirt.
“How’s Miss O’Blair?” big sis asks with a wink,
Eyes on her plate, Becca then takes a drink.
“She’s bald,” Becca sobs with milk on her chin.
“She’s what?” sister shrieks, as dad hides a grin.
“No hair?” asks her mom, who sees she’s upset.
“Like baby’s…it’s shiny, thin, and looks wet.”
Feeling worn-out Becca slouches to bed,
Confused, puzzled thoughts still spin through her head.
Mom speaks to dad, standing right by the stairs,
“…alopecia and that’s new, growing hair.”
Dreams are mixed-up and full of self-pity,
Day dawns at last with eyes that feel gritty.
Mr. O’Peesha…will he take MY hair?
Her worries feel huge with no one to share.
At school, Becca jumps at sounds from the hall,
If he should come here, would mom hear my call?
KNOCK! KNOCK! at the door, just before she’s free…
“Day’s done,” says the principal’s voice in glee.
Later that night, mom plays cards with her club,
Dad’s giving baby’s small back a soft rub.
Sister does homework to earn a good grade,
Becca fakes reading and feels so afraid.
At midnight she dreams, quilt up to her ears,
Stares at a monster with clippers and shears.
Could it be Al, come to finish the job?
He’s outside my room and turning the knob!
Rain pelts the house, and she wakes with a start,
Flies down the stairs, as she clutches her heart.
Mom gives a hug and asks, “What’s on your mind?”
Becca spills worries, her voice hard to find.
“Oh, that’s what you thought, but there’s no such guy!
Miss O’Blair’s happy, so you shouldn’t cry.
Alopecia, a disease, makes her hair thin.
She still feels good, and hair CAN grow back in.
“Sort of an allergy, to one’s own hair,
Others can’t catch it, through breaths from the air.
Everyone’s special, in their own way,
Be kind to others in ALL things you say.”
Days turned to weeks, and the months flew so fast,
Lessons held interest as time quickly passed.
Turn of a jump rope the school year was done,
Warm days of summer brought new kinds of fun.
“I miss my teacher,” she sighs with a smile.
“Really?” sis asks. “What about that HAIRstyle?”
Stopping mid-step, Becca thinks of that day,
She should have asked mom how hair went away.
“Who cares? I sure liked her, right from the start,
She’s pretty and fun and so super smart.
The whole year was great and seemed more like play,
Hope I’m a teacher just like her, someday!”
© Becky Ross Michael 2020
Poem for Kids written by Becky Ross Michael
Illustrations by Rawpixel, with thanks.
LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS
Communication
1. Becca is afraid of Miss O’Blair at first, because she looks different to what she expects. Do you think Miss O’Blair having no hair is a good reason for Becca to be afraid of her?
2. How does Becca stop feeling scared in this poem? What does she wish she did earlier than she did? Why?
Independent Thinking
1. How did you feel about Becca’s sister and father mocking Miss O’Blair behind her back? Was this the right thing to do? Why or why not?
2. How many physical things can you think of in a person, that might be different from others? Do you think any of these make any difference to whether someone could be your friend or not? Why or why not?