First he touched the far side of the tub. Scratched it to feel the texture.
You could see him thinking: Huh? Smooth. Very interesting.
Then he reached over to the opposite side of the tub. Scratched it to feel the texture.
Expression: Utter Shock and awe! Mouth forms a perfect ohhh shape.
See him thinking: WOW! They look the same AND feel the same!!!
Hear him giggling with joy and excitement at his new discovery.
I don't know why that discovery was so exciting, but it made me happy to see.
How wonderful it must be to:
1) make discoveries for themselves, rather than have to study about it in a book or be told about it
2) discover new things every single day, and rejoice in it
3) uninhibited by what people think about you. ( how you react, how simple the discovery)
It makes me think of my students. So many of them, by the time they are in middle school, are beat down. Some of them are so beat down that they have given up on themselves. They no longer seek new discoveries, because they believe they will only fail in the attempt. They have been mocked by their peers so they become afraid to go "out on a limb" to discover new things. It is safer to hide behind certain undesirable behaviors.
On the bright side, sometimes their other teachers and I am able to reach a student. We can encourage them and help them build self confidence. Too often we do not see this come to fruition. We just plant seeds, that later bloom fully or, sadly, get squashed again. But it is the hope that I can help a student bloom that keeps me going back to work every day.
I recently heard about a student that I didn't have a big hand in helping but did a little. We helped her bloom again. She moved away. She is continuing to bloom despite circumstances working against her. I am so very proud of her. And that is why I teach middle school...to help the squished flowers.
Now will someone help me figure out how I got from the bathtub to squished flowers?
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