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.
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!
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.
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 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?
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... |
| Don't expose him to moonlight! |
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. |
Did I mention she has some speech issues?
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