I was spending time with my 2 year old niece this summer and she started to get tired. Sitting next to me, she reached up and grabbed my ear while she sucked her thumb. I have watched her grab my sister's ear many times, as a self soothing technique. This was the first time she had ever grabbed my ear and in that moment I felt so loved. That one little moment was a message from my niece to me that I made her feel comfortable and I was loved.
 |
| Yep, I took a photo! There she is holding on to my ear. |
I felt that same love when my school held it's Meet the Teacher Night this week. I stood in the hallway greeting new and returning students. A student from last year's crew came tearing down the hall with a brightly colored box in her hand. She threw her arms around me and told me that she had missed me so much this summer--she wouldn't let go! She had made me a gift and card. A bit later, another student came down the hall with his family and...then I was spotted and he ran down the hall yelling "MS.YOUNG!" and then there were more hugs. These two sweet kids made me feel so loved in the span of a quick hug and those "I missed you" words.
I think about the feelings of care and comfort my niece and former students gave to me in these past few weeks. In preparation for this new school year, I am reflecting on those thoughts for my upcoming kinder crew:
What are the things I do (procedures, classroom setup, building in one-on-one time) to build comfort for students in my room?
What am I planning to do to make sure that I truly know each student and what they will need for encouragement when they need comfort?
Can my students make mistakes, academically and behaviorally, and know that their teacher has unconditional care and love for them?
While I won't be holding any ears this year, I hope to instill that same feeling in my students: that they are loved and supported in celebrations and those hard stretchy moments that will happen in the classroom. Is it time to start teaching yet?
