6/6/09

Spring Forward...


We had our special “leaping” ceremony yesterday at Smith Elementary in Smith, Oregon.

 

After the singing performance, the iMovie of our year in school, and all the treats, one little fella came up to me smiling from ear to ear.  This is what he said, (And when I say said, I really mean yelled…)

 

“Mrs. Smith, you know what I LOVE ABOUT FIRST GRADE???”

 

Me:  (Thinking he would say recess, or play time, or CHAOS) “What, John????”

 

“No matter if you YELL at us, or how many time-outs we have, we KNOW you STILL LOVE us!!”  And with a smile he hugged me; truly, truly hugged me…

 

 

and my heart was full……….

 

 

 

38 comments:

♥ Braja said...

I thought of something funny to say but i don't want to upset any leap festival fans (????)

LegalMist said...

aaaawww, how sweet.

Paige Lacey said...

Makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

Lilly said...

Aw, that should make your heart full too. Thats why you do what you do, they are listening to you and learning from you.

Unknown said...

Yeah, my head would have been too big to get thru the door.

Michel said...

man, that little guy is cute! Your heart is full but you live knowing that even the kids think you're a yeller.

How cute is that?

Anonymous said...

you made an impact. :)

Kate Coveny Hood said...

Adorable! Love it!

Irish Gumbo said...

You are good, really really good...lovely story

mommakin said...

Oh, that is AWEsome! You done good.

Mommy of Many said...

awwww....moments like these make you realize how important yo really are. Great Job!

Boozy Tooth said...

Yep. Makes it all worth the spilled cartons of milk, the coatroom capers, and the Elmer's Glue fests, huh?

WeaselMomma said...

That is so cute and sweet. I love how little minds work.

FranticMommy said...

awwwwww....that's awesome!

Joanie said...

Gotta love those left-handed compliments!

And Braja? aw, go ahead and say it!

Rick Daley said...

Too bad the plague of Lost Youth will hit hit one day, turning him into a cynical bastard like the rest of us.

Mike said...

Aaahh. Very sweet.

beth said...

awesome!

Unknown said...

Awww....

Kat said...

*tears in my eyes* Oh bless!

SkylersDad said...

Way to go, if I ever got compliments like that I would never stop bawling.

Mango Girl said...

Simple, sweet and BEAUTIFUL!

DKC said...

Perfect.

Char said...

AWE, simply beautiful. Lucky you!
Have a great w/e.

Birdman said...

It happens a lot still in seventh grade too. Of course, the huggin' stuff is pretty much a no no and off limits! Ha! I love working with seventh grade writers. They still want to please you and aren't yet jaded... by eighth! Gotta love it!

ChiTown Girl said...

Thanks for my early morning cry!! That is so sweet. It's moments like that that make me drag my butt to work every morning....

Girl Tornado said...

Awh, how sweet! :)

My DIL always has the best stories about her 2nd graders. I can understand how you MIGHT lose your patience some days, LOL.

Malisa said...

Smith Elementary in Smith, Oregon is so lucky to have you!

Malisa

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

Just like your own kids.

Liz Wilkey (a.k.a. A Mom on Spin) said...

. . . as well it should have been!

Unknown said...

awwwwwwwwwwww that is a real spirit lifter. It made me smile too

Unknown said...

Sending day ( what we call it in Kindergarten) is what I like to refer to as ugly crying day... me ... not a pretty single tear down the eye crier.

The kids, even the bratty ones, suddenly become the most angelic little darlings on the planet...

then their parents show up and open their cake holes and ruin the whole fookin' moment :)

LOL, Am I right?

Peace - Rene

Lorraine said...

As the cycle ends so do the frogs leap. You'll be ready for some new tadpoles in August! Until then, relax and enjoy.

Suzy said...

Are you sure he's met you?

Sharon Rose said...

How sweet! Well, looks like you've done it. . you've pulled it off. . . that balance thing between discipline and love. . . YOU GO GIRL! Those words are priceless!

dgrock said...

Isn't it crazy how weeks and months of frustration can be made worthwhile from a single comment and gesture? Great little story!

SweetPeaSurry said...

Awww super sweet!

Anonymous said...

You have the BEST job!

Reminds of the Christa McAuliffe quote: (replacing 'I' with 'you' here) "You touch the future...you teach."

Your post reminds me of my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Coakley. We were her last class before she retired. She was very strict, although I thoroughly enjoyed how she would read to us for an hour every day after lunch. "James and the Giant Peach" was a particular favorite. I think it was in that moment that I knew what creativity really was.

On the last day of school, she passed out packs of chewing gum to us. What a rebel!

One time, she wore the same dress to school three days in a row - a flower print, mumu-type thing. To this day, I don't know why she did that. She was always a nifty dresser (well, as nifty as it was to wear 1950's styles in the 1980's.) I wonder if she did it on purpose just to see if one of us kids would say something.