Somehow I Have Charmed the Little Ones

I dunno, maybe it's the time change, but the sixth graders were nearly impossible to teach this week. In fact, yesterday I wanted to walk out the door after class. Seriously, I was asking myself what was the point of it all, and did I really want to teach?

Needless to say, the feeling stayed with me this morning as I prepared to teach two more sections. Traffic was awful on the way to school, the lunch I packed was a last-minute replacement after I couldn't get the soup I wanted to come out of carton (don't ask), and the secretary was still on a tear about wrapping up the book fair hell week we'd just endured.

My lesson plans were staring me in the face, and the thought of attempting to teach two more sections of sixth-graders possibly as goofy as yesterday's section just depressed me. But then, outside the office door, I heard the secretary telling somebody (in a talking-to-little-kids voice), "Go on back, sweetie--I'm sure Miss P would love to see that." I looked up.

In shyly toddled a second grade girl with a paper in her hand. "Hi," I greeted her. "What do you have there?"

"Uh, Miss P," she said very seriously, "our teacher asked us to write about people who work in our school and what they do. And I wrote about you." She held up the paper.

And there I was, in a small portrait--curly hair and all, and my, did I look slender--beneath a paragraph about how I am a nice "libraryian" and listing the good things that I do like "help us find books." I think I was speechless for a moment. I wanted to hug her but I always hesitate with that kind of thing in school, and part of me just wanted to cry at the sheer irony of it all, so I just let myself smile the hugest smile I could possibly make.

"Wow, you really did describe what I do," I said. "This is wonderful. Thank you for writing about me!"

She smiled and went on her way. And I went on my way, a little bit happier.

At least, until the sixth-graders were positively awful even while the assistant principal sat right at the back of class, observing me.

I'm just going to tell myself that when all else fails, at least the second grade likes me.

Maybe they can put in a good for me with the assistant principal.


Comments

ccr in MA said…
I'm so sorry about the sixth graders, but aww, the thought of that little second grader! So cute!

Did you get to keep the paper?
Amy Giglio said…
Isn't it nice when the Lord sends you those people like your 2nd grade friend every once in a while?

IMHO, 6th graders are generally terrible, no matter what school they're in. The hormones are going full blast and they are nearly impossible to deal with. The asst. Principal knows that too, so don't worry about the eval.

:)
Lindsay said…
I love it when God sends you little messages (in this case, from a little messenger!) like that to cheer you up and remind you of the good just when you need it the very most. That is absolutely precious. :o)
Well, that is very sweet. In my day you could have swept her up in a big hug and no one would have thought a thing about it. Oh well.
Dave E. said…
Good for the little one!

Way back I spent two years teaching CCD once a week to 7th and 8th graders. After some initial difficulties my peers and I got into a pretty good groove. Once in a while though, the kids would show up and for no apparent reason be, I hate to say this, feral. They would have some kind of mass psychosis or something. Then the next week they would be fine. Kids around that age are simply unpredictable.
Kate P said…
CCR--well, you know, she didn't offer it to me, so I didn't want to ask for it. I did wonder if I was meant to have it, though.

Amy--yeah, it was a nice moment. I did get dinged on the eval this morning, though. It was worse than I thought.

Lindsay--it really was a nice surprise.

Laura--I know; I probably could've done it. There are some 6th graders who come visit my co-librarian and hug her (because she was the librarian for their early years).

Dave--I'll admit that I did check the moon phases. No full moon, but maybe it's just the time change that's bringing out the psycho. But at this point I'd settle for one week out of the month that was fairly good.
nightfly said…
This made my heart smile...
Annie Coe said…
Don't you think that, one little girl who loves you is worth it all?
Keep telling yourself that you love your life :-). xoxo
Kate P said…
'Fly--yeah, little kid things like that are good for the heart.

Annie--jury's still out for me but I like your thinking.

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