Ryan Plott
September 9th, 2010, 10:47 AM
I help out on Friday mornings with a K-3 class on at Shepherd. Anyone's who's worked with that age group or has young kids know they can be a handful, especially those who go out of their way to exert their independence and make trouble.
There is a young girl named Hannah in that class who is one of "those". We're always corralling her and making her treat the other children nicely and stay in her desk. Hannah is very mischievous, loves to pull pranks, and is very independent. There is no problem she can't solve, and if you try to help her she begins to shut down mentally and emotionally. You'll most likely get a tantrum as well. These problems extend to such things as putting puzzles together, coloring pictures, or putting her desk in order. Hannah knows she can do it, and isn't scared to tell you that.
It surprised me then, when we all went out to recess on the playground and she came up to me and asked me to tie her shoe. I asked her if she was sure she wanted me to tie it and Hannah said very emphatically that she wanted me to tie her shoe at that very moment. I then proceeded to sit down and tie this little 3 year-old's shoe for her. While I was busy tying, she put both her arms around my left arm(as far as she could reach anyway) and gave me a hug and kind of nuzzled my shoulder with her head.
I thought we were having "that moment" in the movies when the teacher finally breaks through to a troublesome student. You know, that moment when everything seems to click and the teacher and student come to some greater understanding of each other? It was like that. I kind of sat there stunned as I was being hugged by this little three year old and then realized this could be the beginning of something big in our student-teacher relationship. I let her hug me, finished tying her shoe, gave her a big smile and said "Ok Hannah, your shoe is tied. You can go play now!" Hannah gave me a big smile, giggled, and then ran off to play.
I felt pretty good about myself.:smilies0275:
It wasn't until a bit later that I looked down and noticed a string of snot that went from side to side along my shoulder where Hannah nuzzled my arm. Devious little Hannah had decided to play a practical joke on me and use my sleeve as a tissue while I was tying her shoe, blissfully unaware of her hidden agenda.
It's a pretty big bruise to the ego when a three year-old outsmarts you.:tongue: I'll think twice from now on before I tie any more shoes!:smilies1722:
There is a young girl named Hannah in that class who is one of "those". We're always corralling her and making her treat the other children nicely and stay in her desk. Hannah is very mischievous, loves to pull pranks, and is very independent. There is no problem she can't solve, and if you try to help her she begins to shut down mentally and emotionally. You'll most likely get a tantrum as well. These problems extend to such things as putting puzzles together, coloring pictures, or putting her desk in order. Hannah knows she can do it, and isn't scared to tell you that.
It surprised me then, when we all went out to recess on the playground and she came up to me and asked me to tie her shoe. I asked her if she was sure she wanted me to tie it and Hannah said very emphatically that she wanted me to tie her shoe at that very moment. I then proceeded to sit down and tie this little 3 year-old's shoe for her. While I was busy tying, she put both her arms around my left arm(as far as she could reach anyway) and gave me a hug and kind of nuzzled my shoulder with her head.
I thought we were having "that moment" in the movies when the teacher finally breaks through to a troublesome student. You know, that moment when everything seems to click and the teacher and student come to some greater understanding of each other? It was like that. I kind of sat there stunned as I was being hugged by this little three year old and then realized this could be the beginning of something big in our student-teacher relationship. I let her hug me, finished tying her shoe, gave her a big smile and said "Ok Hannah, your shoe is tied. You can go play now!" Hannah gave me a big smile, giggled, and then ran off to play.
I felt pretty good about myself.:smilies0275:
It wasn't until a bit later that I looked down and noticed a string of snot that went from side to side along my shoulder where Hannah nuzzled my arm. Devious little Hannah had decided to play a practical joke on me and use my sleeve as a tissue while I was tying her shoe, blissfully unaware of her hidden agenda.
It's a pretty big bruise to the ego when a three year-old outsmarts you.:tongue: I'll think twice from now on before I tie any more shoes!:smilies1722: