Simple, quiet, shy, approval-seeking.
Celeste looks like a little angel. She sits quietly, observing the antics of her classmates, usually with a shy little smile playing on her lips. Her dark eyes don't miss much. As the year passed I watched her interact more and more.
I'll never forget one morning....
I walked into class, having dared God to show me that he was somewhere in this mundane, tiring routine.
Celeste showed up at my side on that bright, warm morning. I can still see her beaming face in the morning sunlight that shone through the doorway.
"Miss! My mom will have a baby!"
Next thing I knew, she grabbed me around the waist with stronger arms than I'd anticipated. And she didn't let go! I stood there and held her, trying to ask more questions--"Is it a boy or a girl?" "When will the baby be born?" She either shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and gave me that I-don't-understand-that-word-in-English look. Only her HUGE smile stayed in place. I finally gave up, grinning in return. And I hugged her back.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Student Files: Katherine
Ah, Princess Katherine. She's brilliant and somewhat precocious.
Just last week she taught me about teaching.
Katherine didn't want to do the Science review sheet. School comes easily to her, but sometimes she gets tired of the tedious busy work that is so necessary for some of my students. So she sat there and distracted Geovanny and Andrea, tossing her hair, letting her diamond eyes sparkle as she giggled and screamed in outrage at Geovanny's response.
I kept walking past her desk, encouraging her to finish so she wouldn't have homework. Finally I gave her a time limit for the first 4 questions. When she accomplished those I gave her 3 more minutes for the next 5 questions. She lit up. She loves to rise to the challenge. Soon she had the entire worksheet finished and glowed with pride.
I love watching her shakes her foot back and forth, throw her head back, and raise her eyebrows as she taunts the boys. I love watching her swirl around the classroom with Sally--uniform skirt twirling, black shoes slipping, long brown hair flying--not a care in the world. I love the light in her eyes when she asks me if she can have "Bonus Points" in addition to the "Extra Credit" question at the end of the test.
Today she hung on my neck as we said goodbye. I looked down at her face, trying not to giggle at the body glitter clinging to her cheeks, and realized that she has a piece of my heart.
Just last week she taught me about teaching.
Katherine didn't want to do the Science review sheet. School comes easily to her, but sometimes she gets tired of the tedious busy work that is so necessary for some of my students. So she sat there and distracted Geovanny and Andrea, tossing her hair, letting her diamond eyes sparkle as she giggled and screamed in outrage at Geovanny's response.
I kept walking past her desk, encouraging her to finish so she wouldn't have homework. Finally I gave her a time limit for the first 4 questions. When she accomplished those I gave her 3 more minutes for the next 5 questions. She lit up. She loves to rise to the challenge. Soon she had the entire worksheet finished and glowed with pride.
I love watching her shakes her foot back and forth, throw her head back, and raise her eyebrows as she taunts the boys. I love watching her swirl around the classroom with Sally--uniform skirt twirling, black shoes slipping, long brown hair flying--not a care in the world. I love the light in her eyes when she asks me if she can have "Bonus Points" in addition to the "Extra Credit" question at the end of the test.
Today she hung on my neck as we said goodbye. I looked down at her face, trying not to giggle at the body glitter clinging to her cheeks, and realized that she has a piece of my heart.
Student Files: Javier
Every morning I walk towards 5A, with my Mathbook and waterbottle in hand and my backpack on my back. Every morning I get ten steps from the door when Javier spots me and rushes to my side, sticking out his chubby arms to pry the waterbottle from my hands; "Let me help you miss!"
His daily conversation usually starts with, "I am happy today, Miss!"
"Oh really, Javier. That's good! Why are you happy today?"
He cocks his head, tilting his glasses at a precarious angle, then twists his head to the other side as he screws up his nose to think about my question.
"I no know, Miss."
Sometimes I can't help but laugh, and he laughs with me. "Okay, Javier."
Usually he hovers at my desk as I attempt to manage a hundred things at once--write the page number on the board, announce the 60 seconds that the class has until they have to be ready, field any complaints like "Miss! Cristian has my pencil!!!" and answer any questions about yesterday's assignment. Through this mini-crisis, Javier stands and waits for a piece of my attention.
His unending love and patience with his classmates continues to amaze me. They tease him and hurt his feelings, but he never hesitates to lend his eraser or run an errand for them.
His daily conversation usually starts with, "I am happy today, Miss!"
"Oh really, Javier. That's good! Why are you happy today?"
He cocks his head, tilting his glasses at a precarious angle, then twists his head to the other side as he screws up his nose to think about my question.
"I no know, Miss."
Sometimes I can't help but laugh, and he laughs with me. "Okay, Javier."
Usually he hovers at my desk as I attempt to manage a hundred things at once--write the page number on the board, announce the 60 seconds that the class has until they have to be ready, field any complaints like "Miss! Cristian has my pencil!!!" and answer any questions about yesterday's assignment. Through this mini-crisis, Javier stands and waits for a piece of my attention.
His unending love and patience with his classmates continues to amaze me. They tease him and hurt his feelings, but he never hesitates to lend his eraser or run an errand for them.
Student Files: Kora
Oh Kora. Smart as a whip. Most of the time I think she looks bored in class because she understands things the first time I explain them. She usually starts on her Math assignment before I've even finished the sample problem.
A few weeks ago Kora decided that we look alike (I think our hair is a similar color... it must mean we're twins!). She keeps bugging me to "make an announcement" to the class to see if anyone else thinks we look alike.
On the last day of school I suddenly realized that Kora has attached herself to me. She followed me everywhere, half-hugging me, and tried to use my vocabulary (I told her that "hilarious" means "very very funny." haha!). This realization hit me when I looked down after the bell had rung at the end of the day and saw her eyes misted with tears.
Oh Kora. How did I not realize how sensitive you are?
A few weeks ago Kora decided that we look alike (I think our hair is a similar color... it must mean we're twins!). She keeps bugging me to "make an announcement" to the class to see if anyone else thinks we look alike.
On the last day of school I suddenly realized that Kora has attached herself to me. She followed me everywhere, half-hugging me, and tried to use my vocabulary (I told her that "hilarious" means "very very funny." haha!). This realization hit me when I looked down after the bell had rung at the end of the day and saw her eyes misted with tears.
Oh Kora. How did I not realize how sensitive you are?
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