The Chaotic Day, and the Kids Who Made It Better

I had a few chaotic days about a week ago. I don't want to say I had all-around lousy days because some good things happened. Some chaotic things happened. And one, maybe two, lousy things happened.

True to form though, my students made it better.

The day after one of my chaotic times, a fifth grade student "honored" me over the intercom during announcements. She said I worked hard and was always patient. (Ha! Have I got them fooled!) She also said something along the lines of me being a great music teacher.

Then there was the former student who was visiting the day I was getting over a migraine headache (the migraine being one of the lousy things). She saw me and gave me a hug and then started to sob on my shoulder, not out of sadness, but because she was so overwhelmed with emotion at seeing a teacher with whom she had connected. She had participated our production of The Lion King, and I think it meant a lot to her to be a part of a performance that was so moving and special.

Heck, I still cry happy tears when I think about it.

One of those crazy days, I was jogging after school with the kids' running club, and one of the third grade boys teamed up with me. Every time we ran a lap, he got a Popsicle stick. Every four laps earned the kids a green stick which meant they could choose a treat. He kept right up with me. He wanted those green sticks.

"I'm just here for the food," he said.

At the end of our run, he panted, "Whew! I am sweaty!"

"Yeah, me too," I said.

"What? You sweat? I thought girls didn't sweat."

"Oh we do, believe me," I admitted. I paused, then said, "Did your mom tell you that?"

"Yeah." 

One of the more touching incidents happened while I taught the fourth graders our final song for the Veterans Day Program. It is a song that we sing directly to the veterans in our audience, right before we thank them for their service.

I was on a time crunch and was hurrying through the song. I didn't even notice until our final run through that a couple of kids (including some of the tough boys) were tearing up quite a lot as they sang.

It reminded me to slow down and acknowledge what the music meant to my students. How, even if just for those two minutes, these kids learned a little about empathy. Through that song, we experienced something unifying and beautiful.

 

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