Have You Ever Seen the Movie Ghostbusters?

I am asked a LOT of questions, but was asked this one for the first time in the fall...by a 7 year old first grader.  I wish I could tell you her name, but I'll call her Darling for blogging purposes-because she is darling.

Darling is the epitome of "little girl" on the outside.  She has long, mousy brown hair, an engaging, joyful smile to melt daddy's heart, a little squeaky voice that oozes innocence, the cutest outfits befitting little girls everywhere such as little skirts with leggings and flats, ruffles, t-shirts with cute little animal pictures, and a girly quilted coat for cold days that is forever falling off her shoulders as if she's wearing a mink stoll.  She's loving and kind, sweet to everyone, genuine and sincere, open with her heart, and everyone loves her.  She's the most joyful, unassuming child I've ever met and having her in my class this year has changed me.

Each day she wonders what we are going to do.  She arrives with such obvious excitement at the day's possibilities it changes everyone's mood to the better.  It never occurs to her to be negative or pessimistic.  She's the opposite of cynical and there is not a mean bone in her body.

I was first clued in to her personality in the fall, the very beginning of the school year, when she asked me, "Mrs. B?  Have you ever seen the movie, 'Ghostbusters?'"  The question came out of the blue, it's such an old movie (and an odd one for a child to have seen in 2011), it never occurred to me any student of mine would have seen it, much less ask if I had.  It obviously made an impression on her.

The three parapsychologists who start their own ghost catching business.

Another day, again in the morning before going into the classroom, she asked me if I'd seen "Pirates of the Caribbean."  Yes, I answered, "Did you like it, Darling?"

"Well, I just really like Johnny Depp."  Laughs knowingly...

Another day, "Have you ever seen "Edward Scissorhands?  It's about a man with scissors for hands!"  With her eyes widened and her teeth bared, she kind of scared me.  This "little girl" has a twisted sense of humor!

This isn't creepy at all...

At the library, where the students can check out one book a week, she sought out Goosebumps books (I've never read one, but it's a series of scary chapter books meant for third grade and up).  The next thing I know, she's asking me to read to the class a chapter book called Zombiekins, a book about a hybrid teddy bear/bunny rabbit zombie who commits havoc.  When we got into the about the third chapter, the third one in which NOBODY talked, a student muttered with a semi-scrunched up face, "This is getting kinda creepy," and some others agreed, so I set it on the shelf to read "later" and never picked it up again.

Don't expose him to moonlight!

Even my "angry little boy" liked Darling.  He never complained when she took her half of the table out of the middle, her butt and chair completely in his space.  He just accepted it and made do with what little space he got.  When he moved away, she hugged him good-bye and I knew she never saw his flaws.  I think he knew as well and was going to miss her.

Changing the subject, but keeping to what makes Darling so darling, is that she loves to eat.  It could be 8 in the morning and she'd be telling me her dinner plans.  She craves Panda Express's "egg rollers" and orange chicken (well, who doesn't?) and tells me every time her family is planning on going there and the next day I get to hear all about how good it was, subsequently, making me crave those delicious egg rollers.  Through her I find out about all the restaurant deals in town, "Mrs. B, did you know you can get a whole pizzaaaa, and saaaalad, and a soda for like, eight bucks?"  I often hear, "I wonder what we're going to have for dinner tonight!" at recess.

She heard about the talent show and remembered it from when she was in kindergarten last year.  She wanted to try out.  This was 3 months ago.  She didn't make it and upon hearing the news (begrudgingly from me), she got a genuinely shocked look on her face and asked, "Well, what happened?  I sang beautifully."  She didn't cry or pout.  She simply couldn't grasp that those crazy people didn't choose her for the talent show and it was their loss (plus the sucker she received taped to her rejection letter made it ok).  She wears her purple clip on tie she wore at try outs to school, now and then, and it looks just fine clipped to her Sparky t-shirt.

If more people on this earth were more like Darling, it would be a fantastic place...full of peace, love, chinese food, and pizza.  It would be run by baby animals and nobody would have hang-ups or baggage.  Our days would be filled with having fun, giving hugs, and writing I "heart" _____ on scrap paper.  We would all be tolerant of each other and accept ourselves for what we are:  imperfect human beings who make mistakes and who should get better at saying, "I'm sorry" and "Are you ok?"

Lastly, one day the staff had to spend time on the roof.  The deal was, if kids in grades 1-5 read 70,000,000 words (yes, that's million), we would get on the roof.  Seems silly but they did it!  And so did we!  I told the kids I was going to eat my lunch on the roof.  But on the day this would all go down, I forgot about it and didn't pack myself a lunch suitable for eating-on-the-roof enjoyment.  I had to microwave my Lean Cuisine.

I like Darling's title better.

I didn't want to carry a plate of Lean Cuisine up a ladder so I went up there for about 10 minutes, enough time for them all to see me as I waved (like a princess in a parade), then ate my lunch in the staff room like a normal teacher.  Darling asked me first thing..."What happened?  I thought you were going to eat your lunch on the roof?  Why didn't you eat your lunch on the roof????"  So I told her.  She looked at me like I had 3 heads and asked, "What's Queen Wuisine?"

Did I mention she has some speech issues?

Justin Bieber

I've been working really hard with a tough girl in my class who acts like a bully.  I believe, as always, that I must get her to change her ways before she leaves my class and goes on to the next teacher, or else I've failed. 

I'll call her Melissa.  She's friends with Aly, although I don't know why Aly wants to be her friend so badly, as Melissa is rarely nice to her.  Such tangled webs we weave...even at such a young age.

Melissa frequently has a frown on her face.  Her dark brown hair is not brushed, but not tangled either.  It just won't stay.  She's small in stature with dark brown eyes that give away her mood at first glance.  When she smiles, though, I'm reminded that she is just a little girl, trying to find her way like all the rest of them.

One day, as she walked out of the room to go to recess, I reminded her to be kind.  She and I have had numerous conversations about how to be a good friend and I've listened to her complaining about everyone else and how nothing is her fault.  I often feel like I'm wasting my breath but I can't give up, right?

The first morning recess, Melissa walked back to line smiling and chatting with another student.  I inwardly gave myself a high-five.  Something is getting through...ahhh, I'm so awesome.  We went in to do our math lesson.  Melissa continued to look like she was trying and her eyes told me she was open to new possibilities.  This was turning out to be a good day.

When I went to pick the kids up from lunch, though, she was in line sulking angrily.  When I asked what was the matter, she wouldn't tell me.  Sometimes I let it go, but this time was different, as something obviously really bothered her, and oh, Aly is also sulking.  Hmmm...

I got the two to my desk and asked what happened.  Melissa vehemently stated that Aly is LIAR!  Aly just looked at me.  I hate these accusations.  I resort to all kinds of tricks to get the truth, not really knowing if I ever get it.  I tell them I have eyes in the back of my head (but you can't see them because I have hair).  I tell them that adults can tell when a kid is not being truthful because they can see the sparks coming out of their eyes.  Kids can't see the sparks because their eyes are not fully developed yet.  The funny thing is, they believe me.  The best one of all, though, is to ask a question and just sit there with my mouth shut.  I'm great at standoffs.

So that's what I did.  Eventually one of them would fess up.  And eventually one did.

Melissa restated her complaint, "Aly is a liar!"

Me, "Why?  What did she say?"

Melissa crossed her arms and got quiet, frowny face.

So I did the same.

Aly, "I did not!"

Melissa, "Yes you did!" 

Me, "Melissa, I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is, why do you say she's a liar?"  Classic.  And oh, namecalling.

Melissa thought about it, "She said Justin Bieber is her brother!" 

I about choked on my laugh reflex and I think I coughed so as not to belittle her very serious accusation.

Aly, "Na uhhh, I said I was glad he's not my brother!" 

Melissa, "That is not what you said, you said Justin Bieber is your brother."  Now I have two liars lying to me.

What I wanted to do was ask why she's glad Justin Bieber isn't her brother..I mean, these things are the stuff of great blogs about first graders.  But there was a teachable moment here, so I snatched it and talked to Melissa about choosing her battles and to Aly about making up stories to get people to like her.

The girls made up and will live again to argue another day.