chaos to kindness

One thing I love about my career is that it’s different. Every day I walk into my school unsure of what I am getting myself into. While I teach the same subject. In the same order. Every day… no day is truly the same.

Today, as always, was a chaotic day. My current fifth graders are a loud bunch and honestly I love the chaos of it. Does it make me want to scream somedays? Of course. Does it make me laugh every day? Most definitely. It’s hard to appreciate teaching without also finding the humor in it. While my days are always filled with chaos, there is also never a lack of kindness.

My kids are currently partaking in a program that involves outside business leaders, educators, and community members coming in to speak to the kids. Today’s sessions focus was on entrepreneurs. As our guest speaker asked the kids to name some entrepreneurs they began one-by-one sharing how they were an entrepreneur. Creative, but not quite what she was looking for. As she redirected, encouraging their young entrepreneurship, but asking for names of adult entrepreneurs, one of my kiddos raised his hand.

“I actually sell myself”

A few kids makes eyes, as I make eyes with the aid in my room.

He’s quick to follow up with “Well, I sell my body”

By this point there is stifled laughter, a few shocked faces, and confused faces. The aid in the room tries to hush the others, our poor guest speaker is trying to find a way to talk out of this one, and internally I’m dying of laughter, knowing where he is going with this.

Paying no attention to any reaction in the room, he wraps up with, “people hire me for yard work, so I weed or pick up sticks and they pay me”

But it’s too late, chaos has ensued. All focus is lost.

We somehow manage to pull it somewhat back together and kids are now taking turns reading definitions of this week’s lessons key words. One of my students who struggles to read got picked to read a card and as he began to read, he struggled a bit. However, two boys near him simply whisper any words he hesitates on to him quietly. No laughter. No giggling. No smirking. No judgement.

When he finishes reading the card one of them turns, smiles at him, and says “good job.”

Pure chaos to pure kindness

Trust Yourself