The most wonderful thing happened yesterday, and I have to share it.
We started our day out in the forest as we always do, and many students took an interest in the track lines left over from the previous day’s Track and Field event.
About half-way through the races, one JK student sat down in the middle of the track. Students ran around her. Eventually she got up mid-way through one of the races and ran to the finish line. Then she walked over to the fallen tree — obviously upset — and sat down. Before my teaching partner, Paula, or I could go over to see what made her sad, another child walked over.
- He sat down beside her.
- He rubbed her back.
- He whispered quietly to her.
- He even gave her a hug … of which she returned one as well.
He spent quite a long time sitting there comforting her, and in the end, she joined a group of children and began to play again. There are many amazing things about this.
- The upset child always comes to see us if she’s feeling angry or sad, but due to the comfort from a classmate, she never did.
- These two children rarely play together and never speak, but yesterday, this little boy gave this little girl the kindness that she needed to calm down.
- The student that offered so much comfort has never done something like this before. He often seeks out a hug or a gentle rub on the back when he’s feeling upset, but he has not given the same to somebody else. When a child really needed it though, he did. And on top of everything else, without her saying a word, he recognized this need.
As the year comes to an end, and we reflect on our student growth, I can’t help but think about what happened yesterday. How do we continue to make “love” a classroom and school priority? Imagine if the world was filled with a little more empathy, kindness, compassion, and love!
Aviva
Aviva ~
I continue to be blown away by your clear love of children and teaching. Your daily documentation is awe inspiring. I connected with you years ago, back in the early days of Twitter, when we were both using Twitter as a primary way to learn and share teaching practices. I admire the way you have expanded your social media presence through your blog and Instagram account. I want you to know that I continue to follow the adventures of you and your students daily. You are such a positive force in challenging my thinking and improving my teaching practice. I rarely comment these days, but I am out there – lurking and learning. I will be moving from first grade to Pre-K next year, and your adventures in JK were a big motivating factor for the move. I’ve been in first grade for 8 years, and I felt that it was time for a new challenge. In viewing your Instagram account and reading your blog, I became convinced that I wanted to work with our youngest learners. I have been researching self-regulation, and I am eager to learn more about this framework. I also have a goal of improving my documentation and reflection. I know that you will be a mentor in these areas, and I want you to know that. It’s hard to measure the impact of a blog or an Instagram account, but please realize that your time and dedication are impacting more teachers and students than you know. Thank you!
Wow Julie! What a beautiful comment. I just stumbled upon this now, and I think that you just made my night. You are far too kind. I totally remember connecting with you years ago, and I’d love to connect with you more. I have learned so much about child development and programming from my amazing teaching partner, and I continue to learn so much from her as well. She shows me just how much these connections with kids matter. Self-regulation is such an important topic to consider, and I’d highly recommend that you check out the http://self-reg.ca/ website and read Stuart Shanker’s books. You will not be disappointed. He’s helped me view so many things through a very different lens.
All the best! Can’t wait to hear more about your Pre-K adventures!
Aviva