As I was finishing up in the classroom today I looked around and saw one of my previous kindergarteners standing in the doorway with his mother. He was smiling as he walked up to me with a little package, handed it to me with a hug and said, "Merry Christmas, Ms. Owens." I opened the gift and found a beautiful little handmade ornament. As he and his mother walked away I thought about the first time 2 years ago when I met this young man.
It was the first day of kindergarten and my room was full of excited children and nervous parents. I was handing out tissues to the criers, assuring them that their first day would be okay. I had just gotten the children settled and was encouraging distraught parents to leave when I heard a commotion, looked around and saw one young man becoming aggitated. I approached him cautiously asking him what was wrong. I was greeted with a chair thrown at me and words I don't even say! As if that wasn't bad enough, he headed straight for the door and escaped from the confines of my classroom. I understand the importance of first impressions, but couldn't concern myself with that as I kicked off my shoes and pursued my little runner. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship consisting of chases, dodging hurled objects and lots of conversation. Through our exchanges I began to realize there was an angry and hurt little boy underneath his tough exterior. As time went on he began to entrust me with his deepest thoughts; missing his dad who was incarcerated, disappointment after disappointment in his everyday life outside of school. Eventually he stopped running and began to channel this energy into what was going on inside our classroom. It was the one safe place he had and we utilized to the fullest each moment. I was amazed and delighted as his hardened frowns began to soften and he began to enjoy learning. Once this happened he was like a sponge, absorbing everything he could. The transformation was a beautiful sight!
Even after two years, he still makes an effort to stop by my room, throw me a random hug and just say "hi." The little ornament he handed me isn't just another one to hang on my tree, it's a reminder that his story is what it's all about and why I love my job!
1 comment:
I cried. I don't always cry easily. This is about love and tenacity ~ persevering & not giving up.
You changed the life of one child here, you gave that child both a grounded place & wings to fly. A child who exactly at the time needed that. How joyous is that. Good job Mrs. Owens!
What's not to cry happy tears about it? I'm your blog subscriber grammakaye1 & I'm @grammakaye on twitter.
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