I
struggled this week – anytime there is tragedy like we saw in Boston, I
struggle. It reminds me that there is evil in this world. Evil that I cannot
understand. It is during times like these that I try and surround myself with
love, laughter, positivity.
I
immediately posted these two photos on Facebook:
And that
is the type of message I try and remember. There is where I choose to focus.
So today, finally, I had the chance to see my students after a crazy week. Field trip Tuesday, early out Wednesday. I knew I needed them, I needed to teach. They help remind me that there is so much right with this world, and I needed that. And many of them were still talking about Boston. Honestly, I think it’s a bit more than my fifth graders can handle. I wanted to walk the line between not sharing too much, but comforting those that knew about it. So I turned to John Green. We watched this video:
And we
talked about the message of the flags, the message of the helpers. We discussed
how we
can be helpers, even in our own school. How we can make someone’s day better?
With each class I was impressed by the students’ thoughts and ideas. There is
so much good within them.
After
each discussion, I just smiled. Walking around the room I was greeted by a sign
on our class “IVAN.” I forgot to get a photo, but it said, “I ❤ Tag.” Then a student
asked me if I could purchase another gorilla so we could reunite Tag and IVAN.
As it so happens, I have an extra at home. It will be coming in tomorrow.
I saw these sad faces looking at me. The book is Fig Pudding
and they just hit a sad part. One said, “This is one of Mr. Sharp’s favorite
books? Does it get happy soon?” And I looked at those faces and then thought, Oh boy. And then asked, Are you sure you want to read See You at
Harry’s next?
So no rock star teaching today. No earth shattering lessons.
Just a day with sixty-eight kids. Kids that make me smile, laugh, and cry. And
when you end a day like this – it is an amazing day.
This is my homeroom watching the video How Animals Eat Their Food. (See the actual video HERE.) This video
expresses everything I love about kids. Pure happiness.
