Kids can be so nice!

Yesterday I got a new students from Colombia.  She speaks no English.  Zero.  She was terrified.  We said good-bye to her mom and I put my arm around her and I could feel her heart just pounding.

School hadn't started and my charismatic Salvadoran wasn't there yet, so I introduced her to my boy who is the nicest kid on the planet and just so happens to speak Spanish.  

He just looked at her solemnly.  I said, "Well...say hello."

He broke into Spanish and they chatted away and I saw her tense shoulders drop a notch.

My sweet girl arrived and her face lit up and it turns out she is really good at interpreting.  Some people just have a gift.  She seamlessly shifted between Spanish and English all day long with a brilliant smile on her face.

When my new student would leave her seat, her little mentor was never far behind.  She hovered and made sure everyone was understanding everyone.  I finally told her, "You don't need to go with her every time she goes to the bathroom.  She knows where it is now."

She gave me her thousand watt smile and said, "OK, Teacher, I was just getting a sip of water."

One of the other girls had a birthday party on Saturday.  She knew we were getting a new student and she brought a little gift bag for the new girl.  Other girls slipped her pink hearts and notes.

Kids can be so mean.  100% true.  But also, they can be just incredibly kind.  

Also, I can't explain enough how grateful I am for the champion multilingual students we have.  They have been rebranded from English as a Second Language (ESL) to English Language Learners (ELL) to ML.  Multilingual.  I like it because I think it better captures their awesomeness.  They navigate two languages, helping their parents and their younger siblings.

And they are a lifeboat for both new students and me when we have someone who doesn't speak English!