Some things just have to be shared again. My niece Gloriana is getting ready to start driver’s ed. soon, and while I love her supremely in every stage of her life, I sometimes feel bittersweet about how fast time with nieces (and students) goes.
musings
Preschoolers Crack Me Up Once Again
Recess duty today:
Joe: I need help.
Moe: I need help too.
Miss B: Okay, how can I help you?
Joe: Moe was mean to me.
Moe: No, Joe was mean to me.
Miss B: Let’s problem solve together. Joe, what did Moe do that was mean?
Joe: He said I was mean.
Miss B: Moe, what did Joe do that was mean?
Moe: He said I was mean.
Miss B: Well, at our school we choose to be kind. So you are going to be kind, Joe, and you are going to be kind, Moe, and I am going to be kind.
Joe and Moe: Okay!
Miss B: What do you want to play?
Joe and Moe: Star Wars!
Miss B: And we’ll all be kind?
Moe and Joe: Yes!
(Off they run, full speed, smiling.)
(Next time they run by . . .)
Miss B: Are we all being kind?
Moe and Joe: YES!
Problem solved. Wow. And I went on my way laughing out loud.
and then it’s spring
Smile
The random conversations we participate in every day as teachers are like clear, cool water on a summer day.
“Miss Blessing, do you know who I am today? I am Albert Einstein. Do you know why? He likes to go on hikes, and I like to go on hikes. He has messy hair, and I have messy hair. He is a great thinker, and I am a great thinker.”
What’s not to love about that!
Refreshment
As we were discussing our ongoing quest to be sure all guest teachers in our room receive full respect and cooperation, we reviewed our conclusions from the last discussion (which occurred right after a literacy lesson on similes).
“Remember how you decided that when a guest teacher leaves our room they should feel as refreshed as a spring flower sprouting in the gentle sunshine?”
One of my dear ones popped up enthusiastically, “I agree. They should feel just like a mountain lion munching on a delicious squirrel. Now that’s refreshing.”
And you wonder why every time a guest walks in, we’ve been laughing. . . .
A Teacher’s Full Heart
During Bible, the students each prayed a prayer of thanksgiving.
“Thank you, God, for math, so that all of us who love to think in numbers can measure things and do lots of thinking on the jobs we want to do . . .”
Later that morning, this student spent his snack time creating challenge problems for the younger students to try, so he could be their math teacher.
My teacher heart is filled to overflowing every day.
Smile of the Day
Reading comprehension and vocabulary “incorrect” answer that I liked a lot better than the teacher’s guide answer:
“What do mice, voles, and rabbits do to gardens?”
“Enjoy.”
Number 88,962
Reason number 88,962 that I adore being a teacher:
Whispered to me as we walked through the hall this morning was this sincere comment. “Miss Blessing, you are a sweet, delicious pie.”
Every single day I am surprised and delighted by my students.
Photo (or Three) of the Day–Serendipity
The dragonroar called me. Hot air balloons often surprise us as they appear over the hills on the north and west sides of our school. I’ve learned to tune in to that flaming sound we can detect through the open windows if they are heating the gas to rise. Running out of the school just in time, I marveled as two balloons went directly overhead, low enough for us to converse with the leaf peepers inside. We gaped in awe as the balloons slid over the school, the playground, and the gymnasium. Aren’t you glad life is full of stirring, serendipitous moments like this one?
Summer Verbs
You have a lot to write about!