Little H

I have to talk about something positive today because the last week or so has been so miserable. So I will introduce you to one of my students, a first grader, we'll call her Little H. First things first, she's adorable. Simply adorable. And teeny, and also, I'm thinking she should have blond hair. The first three weeks in class, she was NEVER on task, constantly out of her seat, and I was really not understanding how she made the cut to be in my class, which is compiled of advanced students who get onto my roster through a tough screening. Anyway, she made it into my room because she is smart as a whip, I just hadn't seen it yet. On Monday morning, she came in, hyper and grinning, as usual, and sat down and read the DO NOW that I always have on the board. She started her work without fussing. I'll say that again....SHE STARTED HER WORK WITHOUT FUSSING. Did you get that? And she finished her work, on time, all day long. Which had never happened. I could NOT get her to write 3 complete sentences in the three previous weeks. I knew she was capable, VERY capable in fact, she just was too into playing and looking around and yak yak yaking all the time. And then out of the blue, Monday was her best day ever. And I told her mom that after school, and Little H presented her mother with a "good note" that I wrote for her. She was beaming from ear to ear when she left. I thought that it was a miracle, but how much could I wish for in one week? Believe it or not, she was the same way Tuesday AND today. And today was her "leader" day which means she gets to do the calendar activities, lead the line wherever we go all day, and read a special story to the class. She was so excited about it being her day today. I was so proud of her.....kind of like she was my own kiddo.

As a teacher, there are many kids who teach me things. I learn the true meaning of patience, empathy, understanding, committment, longevity, the list is endless. But it isn't often that a child touches my heart like Little H has done, in only four weeks of school. I can't wait to see her little face greet me in the morning. Literally, over the weekend, this child transformed into a sweet, giving, wanting-to-please student, and this really made me think about being judging others, especially kids. My first reaction to this student was OH MY GOSH SHE IS GOING TO GIVE ME GRAY HAIR. It's amazing how much a child that is not my own flesh and blood can leave these kinds of footprints on my heart. Even if she was still squirmy and chatting and acting out like she was in the beginning, I would still love her just as much as I do now, because one look at her dimples and braids and you are hooked. I constantly have to remind myself that my students want to be loved and accepted before anything else, and if I don't give them that, then I'm not giving 110% to them, which is what they deserve.

Update on the poison ivy....thanks to all of you who are sympathyzing......I found a soapy scrub that has these microscrubbers in it that actually scratch my poor skin as I wash the ivy on my body....do you know how good that feels? OMG it's like I'm in heaven for about 15 seconds. My friend Julie recommended this stuff to me, and it is really helping the itching urges. I'm just hoping to be "normal" again soon. I still have lots of drying up to do, but at least I am finding some more relief on the way. I just keep thinking how much this puppy is KENNY'S puppy and how unfair it is that I am the one suffering here!!! It just figures, doesn't it??

I will leave you with a picture of the puppy, because I have to remember how cute she is so I won't go crazy over the ivy situation....