They think I'm teaching them, but honestly, they teach me more every day. They are honest;
they are real; and they let you know what they are thinking....Six year olds think I draw
well, and sing well, and are so in the moment. What I love most is that they still know how to
love unconditionally.
Recently one of my students moved away, and it about tore my heart out. She thought she might move, but then learned that they would try to work things out to stay the year. I felt relief because she was well-loved by her classmates, and she felt safe and happy. I noticed that she was really feeling confident and had taken rolls in the class as a leader, helping other kids and reading to them and with them and feeling a vital part of things.
When the day came, I didn't know it...we weren't prepared...we didn't get to say goodbye...and she didn't get to take anything with her but our love. I was greatful for every moment of her vibrant spirit. The lesson I learned that day was that my main job is "to just love them."
When I first started college, I remember a young girl who tried to tell me that her job was to teach those kids, and love wasn't a part of her job. I was a young single mom at the time, and I remembered telling her that it was vital to me that all of my daughters got loving, kind teachers because I knew their teachers were going to spend more of their day with my kids than I would be able to spend with them. I also knew that if kids knew that you cared about them, they could learn anything!
My students will learn...they will grow...they will become wonderful people...but most of all, they will know that wherever they go, they will always be a part of my heart and that they made a difference to our class. My thinking leads me to believe if they felt they made a difference in my class, won't they feel capable of making a difference in the world?
What a blessing...
