kids today
I've been missing my students lately. Not so much the whole bells ringing at some ridiculously early morning hour and years of grading to do every night, but the kids. Since I'm a little more mobile now and I'm spending more of my waking hours on line or shuffling down the street I've been in contact with a few of the dears.
I just wanted to share some of those interactions:
1) An IM conversation. Names changed to protect the silly:
child: we just did our second lab today
me: the projectile motion one?
child: yup
me: cool
me: i like playing with the launchers, but they always scare me when they go off. even when i know it's going to happen
child: lol
child: those marbles hurt if they land on you
me: :D i know! did they land on you?
child: when i tried to block them
child: or catch them
me: dude! it hurts my stomach when i laugh!!!!!! ha ha!
me: i hope you aren't injured
child: no
2) Walking down the street:
Saw a kid who lives down the street from me. He wasn't actually my student - he is a friend's former student, and is the friend of a former student. Somehow or other, we've spent some quality time talking about life with alternative brain chemistry. Anyway, I told him my hospital story and he told me his last doctor's visit story (which actually may have caused him to quit smoking, yay!). Then we went our separate ways. Late that night my Wonderful Roommie came home to find a large chunk of a flowering bush, pretty flowers included, propped up by our screen door. The next day we found the bush and the remains of a broken branch in the community garden a few doors over. I have no doubt it came from him. I don't really know how to react to such sweet hooliganism. We just put the flowers in water.
3) Email:
Last night I received the cutest "Please come back we need you" email. It was very flattering, but I feel a little sad about abandoning them. Especially since my doctor seems to be telling me I should stay home for the full 6 weeks. I'm going to try to come up with a way to help tutor or something. I figure I can at least set up coffee shop office hours.
So that's the plan for now.
But the grand scheme plan is to remember that I love teaching. Even when I'm up too early and working too late, and when the adolescents get extra crispy. I still missing laughing at/ with the kids, and listening to their stories, and watching them understand something for the first time. I know it'll be hard to go back after such a long break, but I'll make myself remember.
I just wanted to share some of those interactions:
1) An IM conversation. Names changed to protect the silly:
child: we just did our second lab today
me: the projectile motion one?
child: yup
me: cool
me: i like playing with the launchers, but they always scare me when they go off. even when i know it's going to happen
child: lol
child: those marbles hurt if they land on you
me: :D i know! did they land on you?
child: when i tried to block them
child: or catch them
me: dude! it hurts my stomach when i laugh!!!!!! ha ha!
me: i hope you aren't injured
child: no
2) Walking down the street:
Saw a kid who lives down the street from me. He wasn't actually my student - he is a friend's former student, and is the friend of a former student. Somehow or other, we've spent some quality time talking about life with alternative brain chemistry. Anyway, I told him my hospital story and he told me his last doctor's visit story (which actually may have caused him to quit smoking, yay!). Then we went our separate ways. Late that night my Wonderful Roommie came home to find a large chunk of a flowering bush, pretty flowers included, propped up by our screen door. The next day we found the bush and the remains of a broken branch in the community garden a few doors over. I have no doubt it came from him. I don't really know how to react to such sweet hooliganism. We just put the flowers in water.
3) Email:
Last night I received the cutest "Please come back we need you" email. It was very flattering, but I feel a little sad about abandoning them. Especially since my doctor seems to be telling me I should stay home for the full 6 weeks. I'm going to try to come up with a way to help tutor or something. I figure I can at least set up coffee shop office hours.
So that's the plan for now.
But the grand scheme plan is to remember that I love teaching. Even when I'm up too early and working too late, and when the adolescents get extra crispy. I still missing laughing at/ with the kids, and listening to their stories, and watching them understand something for the first time. I know it'll be hard to go back after such a long break, but I'll make myself remember.