They ate donuts in the library the other day. And no one got kicked out.
It was one of the East High Library's finer moments, if you ask me, watching those kids--triumphant and sugar-glazed--hold their sweet rewards in one hand while they logged onto the computers with the other.
Why the blatant disregard of the age-old "No Food in the Library" rule?
The answer hunkered on the back side of the long row of computers, his head occasionally bobbing above the screen. And he was holding two donuts.
People love to hate teachers, it seems. We are too dumb, too standardized, not standardized enough. We complain about our pay, whine about our dwindling summer vacations, moan about the unbearable workload we take home at night.
Wah, wah, wah. . . .
Ah, but what most critics don't know is that there are magical people among us. Teachers like my friend Matt--a burly, bearded guy with a big, brassy belt buckle and scuffed-up rancher hands--who, despite his occasional cynical outbursts squeezed between pursed lips, can create a classroom safe enough so that a terribly fragile, utterly overwhelmed kid will take a deep breath and give a speech to his classmates.
When Matt stood at the library desk the other day and told us that this kid had actually stood up and given a speech, not a one of us could keep down the goosebumps or slow the flow of our now tear-filled eyes. We high-fived Matt, and could not nod fast enough when he asked if it'd be okay for him to bring donuts to the library the next day.
He'd made a deal, after all, and Matt is an honorable man.
As for me? I did nothing but nod my silly head "yes,"over and over again, knowing I'd just witnessed what is best about education--one of those magical moments when diligence and kindness and honor overcome all the impossible obstacles of working with imperfect human beings, and a kid stood up to say "I can do this" while his teacher and classmates cheered him on.
Small things like this are a big deal. Love it.
ReplyDelete