Many of us know teachers personally, and have heard the line, “if only you could spend a day in my classroom.” As a high school teacher for two years I myself have said that line many times. My wife and I finally agreed that neither of us would last if I took over her first grade room and she moved up to high school, but we’ve had opportunities to see each other in action.
I had another of those opportunities again yesterday. Amber called and asked if I would be willing to come in and help her get a few things finished before Christmas break. Being the loving husband that I am I agreed. I probably did less actual work than she was hoping, but I received an awesome reminder of the spirit within many of our young people today.
First graders are at the perfect age where they (hopefully) know nothing about the prejudice, and negativity in our world. Watching every student in the class help each other, look out for each other, and genuinely care for each other was awe inspiring. There are no cliques yet to have been formed. There was no group of friends that would rival Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams in “Mean Girls,” deciding who to like, who to eat lunch with, and who to play with on the playground. There was no, “you’re not cool enough,” “you’re not smart enough,” “you’re not athletic enough,” “you don’t dress the same way as me,” or “you’re too different than me.” There was only a sense of family. A sense that they are more than just classmates.
The last part of the day before the class hoped on their busses and headed for home was a rehearsal for the Christmas play. Being first grade it’s a relatively simple production in which groups of students read lines together describing the different lights associated with the many December holidays. I stood quietly off to one side, watching as six teachers attempted to wrangle 130 six and seven-year-olds into postion alphabetically, and coaxed each group into say their lines in unison. It is my opinion that every one of those teachers deserves some sort of medal of honor. It truly takes a special personality to calmly work with, and educate young children on a daily basis.
I can say, as I have before, that I’m proud to have a first grade teacher for a wife. Further, I’m grateful that she’s willing to put herself through what I can only describe as some sort of torture avoidance training, while I work through graduate school and move into a different career path. She does this on top of taking care of our one-year-old daughter, essentially as a single mom. My afternoon in her classroom taught me many things and reminded me of how talented my wife is, and how lucky I and her students are to have her.
Bunch o' Bunk 