Tears

OK teacher friends, something happened to me today that has never happened to me before and I felt that I needed to blog about it.

First, I have to tell you about how my day started yesterday. We had a faculty meeting in the morning that was VERY stressful. The bottom line was that the teachers are expected to do a TON more work within the time frame that we still have. Do more with less. It is a stinky bottom line. It made the day yucky for all of us that got into teaching because we wanted to teach....the children.....not collect and interpret data.

Fast forward to today.

I have a little girl in my class who is an ELL (English Language Learner). She has been on my radar as a child that may need more assistance than simply ESL services. She has difficulty getting work started, likes to distract others and waits for adult help to get anything done. I have been having the ESL aide work with her at writing time when I am working with the other children simply to keep her on task.

Today, my aide got my attention and I went over to see what she and my student were doing. She showed me a writing paper with a beautiful illustration and neat, understandable sentences about how flowers are beautiful and how they need water to grow. I immediately made BIG DEAL about it and told her that I was SO PROUD of her. What happened next is what I was NOT prepared for.

The little girl cried.

Her table-mate looked concerned but said "Mrs. Faas, I think that she is so happy that she is crying!" When I asked her if that was true, she nodded.

She cried.

It led me to think........had she never been praised before?

She was ALL smiles ALL day and I got a big hug as she was walking to the bus.

After a crappy staff meeting yesterday when all we were told was we needed to collect MORE data with LESS resources and no extra time, I was able to end my day with a sweetheart that cried with pride.

THAT is why I became a teacher.

Bee the Change~