A day at school this week . . .
In the morning . . .
"D., please stop whistling."
"Ms. Monte, please stop talking to me."
And . . .
"Do you need help with that?"
"No."
"Well, let me know if you need anything."
"I won't."
At the end of the work time. "Why didn't you do your work?"
"You didn't help me."
And the reading group with a student on one side of me, who wouldn't read, but really wanted us to all watch him play with and discuss pencil lead, and the girl on the other side who kept yelling at him to stop, and the boy across who was just angry, with the girl next to him giggling, . . . you get the picture.
But then, there was later . . .
When I got to read about platypuses (a creature that I've always wished to see in real life) with a reading group who was also excited to learn about them.
And a student asked if she could read her poem to me.
And someone asked if I was coming on the upcoming field trip, and there was just enough cheering to make me feel like I do belong.
And while admiring the beautiful symbols a student was drawing, he told me it was the Arabic alphabet, and gifted it to me (see above).
And I love his starry borders, and that the days usually balance themselves out.
