When you’re a new teacher and dealing with messes like these…
…it helps to find things to laugh about.
Take, for instance, my ongoing conversation with a student of mine.
I’ll call her Miss P, and she’s just about as precious as any teenager I’ve ever encountered.
From Day 1 of this school year, this sweet child has endeared herself to my heart. That first day of school, I was nervous as I reviewed my rules and procedures.
Miss P sat in the back of the room and nodded and smiled at everything I said.
She’s a preacher’s child but doesn’t fit the stereotype. She truly is a good girl.
She’d also been quiet…until the last few weeks when her quirky personality came to the surface.
Oh my word, but you’d think this girl was a blonde for all of the “moments” she’s had lately.
One day, near the end of class, we were all chatting. Because Miss P is in my fourth period class, we are usually a bit giddy by the afternoon…eager to be finished with the day.
We started talking about the Wii game Just Dance – Michael Jackson.
I talked about how the kids had given me the game for Christmas, and Miss P said, “Did you get the white glove?”
HUH????
White glove?
“Yes, my Daddy got me the game, and it came with the white glove,” she said.
Oh my word.
I expressed shock that my own children didn’t love me enough to buy me this version of the game.
Well, Miss P went on and on about that glove, and finally I looked at her closely.
See, the other girls in the class were laughing hysterically.
I began to suspect that all was not truth that Miss P was speaking.
She finally admitted that she was joking.
Stinker.
Ever since then, Michael Jackson has come up in conversation every now and then, and Miss P is always quick to point out how much she loves him and that I need to get the white glove.
Yesterday, during class, I passed by Miss P, and she said, “Mrs. AuburnChick…look…”
And that child pulled out…
Uh huh…
You guessed it…
A white glove!!!!!
I nearly fainted, and my students started laughing outrageously.
I told Miss P that I simply had to put it on…
Yeah, that’s me wearing the infamous glove.
The funniest thing is that just the night before, as I was putting on my white gloves during handbell practice, I’d told my fellow ringers about the ongoing discussion I’d been having with my student and speculated about how funny it would be to show up with a bejeweled glove.
She beat me to the punch!
You know, teaching is such a difficult profession…long, tiring hours spent without knowing if you’re really making a difference.
It’s times like the above-described on that we teachers thrive on…the connections we make…the laughter that reverberates within our hearts long after our students have left our classrooms.
I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to dance to that game without thinking of my sweet Miss P.
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