Keep It Clean, People

The other morning, I had a lovely conference with a lovely parent about their child's progress. English is not Dad's first language, however he speaks it pretty well.

Me: In class, we are working on writing more complex sentences rather than just simple sentences.

Dad: That's good, because I noticed in her homework that her sentences aren't as....uh....sexy as I'd like them to be.

Me: __________

Dad: You know...detailed. That's what sexy means, right?

Me: ______sure...

You've Got a Friend

My teaching partners and I take different rotations for PE each day.

My focus is on developing the kids' cardio-respiratory endurance. Right now, we're working on jogging without stopping for 2 minutes, and it's HARD for the kids.

I asked them to encourage classmates who they see struggling. As I said to them, anyone can run past a person having a hard time, but a special person cheers them on.

We started the jog, and pretty quickly Marcus started struggling. He's a sweet kid, but life is not easy for him. He's not a fan of PE, not super popular with the other kids and not always willing to push himself in anything.

Nathaniel, a freckle-faced little guy, jogged up next to him when he saw him huffing and puffing.

He put his hand on Marcus' back and said, "You can do it, Buddy. Let's do it together!"

Nathaniel jogged next to Marcus the rest of the time, keeping his hand on his back and cheering him on. It was amazing to watch.

That afternoon I got to do what we teachers do not often have a chance to do. I got to write a note to parents letting them know what a terrific son they have raised. 

And I recognized that I need to be more like Nathaniel.

What Does Home Mean?

Many many years ago I had a sweet little girl in my third grade class. She and her family were new immigrants from Mexico, and all five of them shared a rented bedroom in someone's house. Both parents worked hard and pushed their kids to do well in school. Over the years, I taught all three of the kids in the family. They're all grown now. Everyone graduated from high school. The two youngest went on to college and the oldest is married and has son of her own.

Yesterday, I heard a voice calling out to me as I drove down the street after school. I see the mom of these kids waving at me excitedly from a porch. 

"We live here now! This is our home now!!!"  

She was so proud, and my heart swelled for her and her family. I'm sure that house represents much more than a home to them.

It Pays to be Nice

One of my kids was really mean to another kid. Really mean.

Me: I'm calling your parents.

Him: No! They're gonna get mad.

Me: I'm sure they will.

Him: They'll hit me.

Me: Where?

Him: On my butt.

Me: That's a bummer.

Him: Tell me about it.