On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school I have practice, a chance for students to work with me and other staff on their school work. We used to call it Homework Club but the students and I changed the name to practice. Now when their friends ask them what they're doing after school, they just tell them, "I'm going to practice with Mr. Posick." I love my time with the kids during the school day and extending my day with them is even better.
Last night, I was working with a student on his math and he reached up and grabbed my goatee. I looked at him quizzically and asked him, "Why did you touch my goatee?" He quickly responded with, "I don't have a dad and I've never felt a beard before." It made me pause and think about the small things we sometimes take for granted or don't realize.
I shared this story with my wife later that night and, not surprisingly to those who know me, I teared up and became a bit emotional. I share this story with you as we approach Thanksgiving so that maybe you won't take for granted those things that are always there for you, whether they be family or friends or pets or your health.
What's a small moment you can share? I'd love to hear from you.
I was teaching religious ed (many moons ago), and we were doing a prayer service in which the students placed a domino on a table and then shared an act of kindness they had done since the previous class. The idea was to demonstrate the domino effect of being kind. It was a great prayer service and then Josh was up to share. While giggling he said, "I told my brother I loved him." Others started giggling too, and I started to get nervous about the how serious they were taking the moment. Then it was Jared's turn. With the most serious tone I'd ever heard come out of this kid's mouth he said, "And I told my brother I loved him right back!" I forgot they were brothers, and I hadn't expected that at all! Suddenly the giggles stopped, and I knew it was a moment I would treasure forever. Just last Saturday I ran into Jared. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. He said, "Do you remember me?" I took a breath and said, "Um...kinda?! I just can't place it." "You were my CCD teacher when we did the domino prayer." And I replied, "And you told your brother you loved him right back!" We laughed and he said, "That was pretty cool..."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration to write this story down. Its a good one.
Great post Jay. Thanks for sharing your story. It just shows that it IS the little things in life that count and that we should never take for granted. My small moment is about one of my early childhood students that is learning to communicate his wants and needs with the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). He has been doing such a great job with this. He requests snacks and toys. Something else he needs to be able to communicate is when he does NOT want something or when he needs to say "No" to someone. This week I was in his classroom when the staff was working with him on this skill for only the 2nd time. He was learning it quickly. This may seem like a small thing, but what it is really teaching him is to advocate for himself, and that is really a BIG thing as he continues to develop and grow into a young man.
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