A month ago, he knew no English. But he's been practicing; reciting the sentence stems, looking up phrases in Google translate, speaking up in the simple present tense that we're learning. And so, he looks intently, knowing it will be his turn when I pull up the popsicle stick with his name.
I hesitate for a moment, but I call him by name.
Simple? Not so much.
Present? Absolutely.
Tense? Incredibly.
Kids beg me to spare him. They wave their hands wildly, ready to speak up in complete sentences, answering whether our the lack of privacy in the digital age make us more honest or makes us want to hide even more.
He says stumbles over his words, looking up at the air at what he has memorized in his mind. The words are far from fluent. He is still translating.
But he speaks up. Whole sentences. A paragraph.
"Thank you for your courage," I say.
The boy next to him begins to clap and I worry that he'll feel embarrassed. But then comes the fist bump and a high five and then more applause. A student stands up. More students clap. Nobody laughs. Nobody mocks. Every student in this room has experienced this moment and they are the team celebrating the achievement.
I watch, almost from a distance, then involuntarily I cry. It's been years since a class has seen me cry. I say that it's "enjoyment" that gets me here everyday, but it's more than that. It's this. It's love. It's grace, not as a religious concept, but as something spiritual, powerful, profound.
Thanks, John.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It was a really cool moment.
DeleteThis post made ME cry!!! What a great experience and what a great moment in time with your students. They are such a community already! What a great teacher/leader/mentor they have in you John!
ReplyDeleteLove this!
Tia
Thank you. I'm still figuring it out. I'm still making a lot of mistakes. Yesterday, I forgot to take them to their specials, for example.
DeleteWow! Now I'm crying too. What an amazing story from the classroom. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words.
DeleteMoments like this are what keep us coming to work every day despite the crap thrown at us. Thanks for sharing this, John, and allowing us all to be part of this wonderful occurrence.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It really felt beautiful.
DeleteIt is quite impressive that the students were so supportive. The work you put in to build such a nurturing classroom climate makes moments like that possible. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Your students are very lucky to have you as their teacher.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I really don't feel like it was my support, though. I've been kind of hard on them sometimes. I can be really impatient.
DeleteJust because you can be hard on your students sometimes or impatient at other times does not mean that your classroom climate is not nurturing. We are all human and students know this and accept it. Your writing exudes how much you care for them. Your students could not help put pick up on this, and in a sense model it, in the support they showed for their classmate. Without your caring and work, the wonderful moment you shared is much less likely to have occurred.
DeleteJohn, if you lived nearby, I'd ask for lessons in community building.
ReplyDeleteSeconding that.
DeleteHow safe your class must feel in your room.
ReplyDeleteJust think how encouraged your students feel in your classroom where mistakes can be made and not ridiculed with a teacher who is not afraid to show emotion. You care about your students, and it must be apparent to them as well. Great learning takes place in classrooms where the teacher has high expectations and the students feel free to give anything a try!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to see how caring students can be. Sometimes we worry too much about what they may do wrong and forget to think about the compassion they may have.
ReplyDeleteOh wow....I remember having a similar experience years ago. My little second grade student, with the great smile came to me, worrying that she could not read as well as the other children. She worried that she could not speak it as well, or write it as well. I looked at her sweet face and told her that I was not only PROUD of her, but inspired by her. You see, a short year and a half before that, she had come all the way from Russia to live with her new family. She spoke not one word of English at the time. She didn't have my perspective, but I knew how courageous she was, and what an amazing thing it was that she could speak so well, write so well, and read so well. I was absolutely humbled by her. Moments like these are so special, so amazing....
ReplyDeleteHow great is it that the children don't see any issues but only want to support.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspirational thoughts you wrote here. It is excellent to know that there are some people that can associate themselves to this issue. For everyone else, I advise that they take the time to read this.
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