No words

One of my students asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I said a teacher.  He looked surprised and said, "Oh, right!"

He went back to his seat then came later to my desk.  "What about a hacker?" he asked.

I wasn't sure if he meant for me or for him.  I said, "Well, I don't know that much about computers, but I wouldn't want to be a hacker because it isn't honest."

He said, "Well, I think I'm going to have my uncle teach me some things.  He's always hacking things like DVDs."

***

Someone is always sick.  I count myself lucky if they cover their mouths when they cough and sneeze.  (I almost always have a sore throat and stuffy head but I have managed to keep from getting really sick which is something of a miracle.)

A student commented on how they felt sick and one of the boys said, "I had a sore throat yesterday, but I decided to take it like a man."

***

There is a fourth grader who inexplicably is bonded to me.  He wasn't at the school last year so I can't point to that as when he got to know me.  Maybe he just sees a mom in a sea of young teachers and gravitates toward me.  He often stops by my classroom for a chat or says hello or hugs me if we meet in the hall.

Yesterday, I passed his class on their way somewhere and he leaned conspiratorially out of line and whispered to me, "Twelve days 'til Christmas!"

Then he was gone and I didn't have a chance to break the good news to him that Christmas is actually sooner than that.

I had little time to process anything because a few students down the line was a boy that I did interact with quite a bit last year.  He said to me, "Mrs. Davis!  Your hair looks amazing!"

It didn't, but still.  It kind of put a spring in my step.

***

I forgot to take the Christmas book I wanted to read my class so I grabbed one from the school library.  It was Merry Christmas Strega Nona.  I hadn't read it but I do like Tomie de Paula and Strega Nona.

Every day I've been telling my class, "Now this is my favorite Christmas story."

And the same boy says, "You say that every day."

It's like an unfunny comedy routine we do.  Yesterday I said, "This is not one of my favorites because I haven't read it."

My comedy partner started to say something but then stopped himself.  I had messed up our act.

I read the story and it was pretty good, but nothing too spectacular.  One of my sweet girls who has a very tender heart, sighed at the end when Big Anthony surprised Strega Nona with a Christmas feast and said, "I love that!"

She had real tears in her eyes.