Interesting week at school. Apart from the fact that this one week lasted two, there were some fun times. Disciplinary and exhaustion issues aside, we had several Ah-ha moments.
You gotta love the first grader that wants so much to follow directions that, when told to put his name on both papers, he did. Simultaneously!
Now that's taking 'listening to directions' to a new level.
Then there’s the boy that invented his own word: scarified. He was trying to tell me how getting lost in the mall scared and terrified him, but he got all tongue-tied and made up his own word. I told him I LOVED the new word. It was very descriptive and I thought we should use it during the day. And we found ways to do just that. Laughing every time someone said it.
The kids used words like ‘summarize’ and ‘strategies’. ‘Fluency’ and ‘stamina’. Inferring’ and ‘visualizing’ ‘Symmetry’ and ‘equivalency’. Not bad for 7 years old. They listen. They learn. They don’t even realize they’re soaking things up like human sponges. They just do it.
Someday – soon – I won’t be doing this anymore.
I’ll move on.
Will I miss it?
Of course. But the memories will always be there. They’ve embedded themselves into the person that I am. The person I’ve become because of having known these kids. I am grateful for all the sugar and spice and everything nice. The snakes, the snails, the puppy dog tails. I loved them all, no matter what I said when I was pulling my hair out these past 10 years. They positively molded me. I hope I molded them, positively.
Dear Bliary 