What? Yes, I know today's not Thursday. It's Friday. But, my blog, my rules. Yesterday was the last day of school, and I was thinking about sending my princes and princesses on their merry ways, and what I know about them and what they know about me. And then I found this quote, from a book I loved called
The Little Prince:
"Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: “What does his voice sound like?” “What games does he like best?” “Does he collect butterflies?”. They ask: “How old is he?” “How many brothers does he have?” “How much does he weigh?” “How much money does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him. "
Thirteen things I know about my students:
1. the sound of each of their voices- I could be blindfolded and know who was speaking to me
2. who they like to stand in line next to
3. what kind of books they like to read, or if they don't like to read
4. what games they will play if they are given free time to play games
5. what part of the playground they like to play on, and with whom
6. what kind of mood they are in when they walk through the door
7. who is whistling, tapping, or rocking back in forth in their chair- without looking
8. not only what their handwriting looks like, but also how they form their numbers- just because the paper doesn't have a name on it doesn't mean I don't know whose it is
9. who their brother and sister has for a teacher, and where their dad has gone out of town for a business meeting
10. the names and types of their pets, friends, and enemies
11. what makes them smile, laugh, and cry
12. what they want to be when they grow up
13. that I am in charge of loving them and teaching them, even if it kills me
Thirteen things they know about me:
1. that I will not wear a skirt if it comes above my knees
2. that I love to sit outside and read
3. that Read Aloud is my favorite part of the day, and will let it go on if I'm in the good part of a book
4. that I have "favorite chapters" of the books I read to them
5. that in their mind, I know the name of almost every kid in the whole school
6. that I love to play practical jokes on the principal, and vice versa
7. that, even though I have a schedule on the board, I'm probably not going to stick to it minute-by-minute
8. that I prefer to sit on the floor or the table instead of a chair
9. that I like pink and orange and blue and the Gators
10. that I won't help them unless they try it on their own first
11. that I am proud of them for trying it on their own
12. that we're all in this together, even though they're not technically "my students" anymore
13. that they will always be my students
I am going to miss them very much.
If you can tell me what movie that quote is from, you will earn approximately 13 cool points.
