Teacher life

Randomly during math, one student said to another, "I am older than you.  You know that, right?"

The other student solemnly said, "Yes.  I know."

We had a presenter come from Thanksgiving Point who gave us a lesson about life cycles.  She was having them draw and label the life cycles of a mealworm and one of them called out when she commented on how they die like every living thing does eventually, "Are they resurrected?"

She ignored that question like it never happened.

Another student asked how they reproduce.  She said, "They just do."

She made me a terrarium for mealworms to eventually turn into beetles.  She planted grass seeds inside.  She said as long as I keep the grass trimmed, the beetles won't be able to escape into the classroom.

So guess who is going to be really vigilant about grass maintenance?

I had one student distraught because his soccer ball was missing and had been since Friday afternoon.  I was in my IEP meeting so I hadn't known about the missing ball.  I said, "Maybe you left it outside?" He insisted he hadn't.  And he is super conscientious so I believe him.

Another student came late and he was carrying the ball.  I gave him a hero's welcome and said it was so awesome that he'd found the missing ball.

I knew, he knew, we all knew that he had taken the ball, but I still acted like he had done a great thing in returning it.

I trust that kid about as far and I could throw him, but hopefully it was good for him to feel like he'd done a good thing.  

In the afternoon we were reading a story in my small group and we came across the word abuelita.  I had one of my Spanish speakers come to the table and I asked him to explain the word.  I know what it means, but I always want to showcase the awesomeness that is the bilingual kids.  He told everyone it meant grandmother.  

Later a student was stumbling over the word in the story and I prompted them and said, "Remember, it means grandmother."

My Spanish speaker was watching from his desk and he gave me a thumbs up and an encouraging smile.

They wear me out and delight me in equal measure.

I'm also so impressed over and over by the good people I work with.  The third grade team had a loooooong meeting after school and after it was over, Hollie, who is the facilitator asked, "Can I ask you something unrelated to school?"

We said sure.  She ministers to a 36 year old woman whose husband is dying of cancer.  She said, "What can I do?'

We gave her ideas from take the 2nd grader to play at the park to tell her you are stopping at the store and what can you get her?  I showed a book for kids about grief that is really good.  We talked about our experiences and what helped and she wrote down notes.

What a good lady she is!

As sisters in Zion, we all work together and I'm grateful that I can be shoulder to shoulder with some of the best.