No, this kind of patting on the back was the kind that said "I can see your arm is hurting Mrs. Miller. Can I help you?" And I looked up and saw his tiny hand giving my shoulder the most tender little rub. The smile on his face showed the compassion in his 7-year old heart and in his little first grade voice he said, "Would you like me to go get your pillow for you Mrs. Miller?"
I wondered for a second what would have prompted him to even offer such an idea and then I realized what had happened. While we were reading, my arm had indeed started to ache. I had removed the pink splint and the sock that covers my arm and had begun to massage the sore area of the wrist. These days I do that almost without thinking, certainly without missing a beat in what ever it is that I'm teaching at the time.
At first when I started to do that, (once I received the removable splint), the room would become silent and the sound of Velcro ripping apart would echo through the room. Kids would stop momentarily what they were doing and you could hear what they were thinking by the looks on their faces. And it wasn't "Mrs. Miller, you have the most lovely wrist." It was more like, "Oh that looks so bad!" Now, two weeks later, no one notices it much any more and we just keep going on with "business as usual".
Yet, that little guy DID notice and even though he is only in the first grade, he offered to do the one thing that he knew he could. He knew there was a pillow on my desk that I use when my arm hurts too bad and he was ready to fetch it for me....just let him know. :)
You know, after I started to think about it a little, I realized that for the better part of the last 3 weeks, wherever I positioned myself in that group of first graders, that little boy generally always ended up right by me. When it came time to pick up books and materials at the end of our 30 minutes of group time together, he was always the first one to voluntarily clean things up and haul all my materials back to my room for me. If I passed him in the hallway or noticed him in the lunch room, he would invariably ask, "How is your arm feeling today Mrs. Miller?" And now, come to think of it, when I was walking through the playground last week at recess time, he even stopped a game of four-square as I passed by so that no "wild" serves would hit my arm.
It was as if he had taken ME under HIS wing and was determined that I would not want for much when he was around. I had been so busy taking care of other things that I hadn't even realized how much this young man did for me each day. And the really heart warming thing about it all is this: He didn't do any of this for a cool sticker from my sticker box, or an extra 15 minutes of recess or EVEN a star student award. That little boy did it because he knew THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO~and I thank him for it.
You may remember that I mentioned in an earlier post about how I was becoming more cognizant of the "littlest things" in regards to the healing process of my arm? How thrilling it was to even notice the slightest of bends in the joint of my thumb? Well now I'm wondering how it was that it took me the better part of 3 weeks to realize the touches of "human kindness" that little 7-year old boy was providing for me each and every school day that we were together? What else may I have missed seeing?
Friends, Today-please look for the little things that this life has to offer us. Sometimes they are so subtle that they pass us by quickly and we miss seeing them happening. Is there someone out there who has taken you "under THEIR wing" and you haven't even noticed it yet? I'm going to bet there might just be!
Thankfully, in my case, I FINALLY took notice of all the things that little first-grade boy has been doing for me. On Monday, when we all get back to school together, I'm going to find him and thank him for what he's been doing to help me. And you know what, I can guarantee you that his response will NOT be..."Hey, can I have a "free recess" for that Mrs. Miller?" Nah, not even close.
The conversation will be short and sweet-
Mrs. Miller-"Hey I want to thank you for all of the help you've given me with my sore arm. I really appreciate it!"
First Grade Boy-"No problem. You're welcome!"
Have a wonderful Saturday Facebook Friends and Family!
At first when I started to do that, (once I received the removable splint), the room would become silent and the sound of Velcro ripping apart would echo through the room. Kids would stop momentarily what they were doing and you could hear what they were thinking by the looks on their faces. And it wasn't "Mrs. Miller, you have the most lovely wrist." It was more like, "Oh that looks so bad!" Now, two weeks later, no one notices it much any more and we just keep going on with "business as usual".
Yet, that little guy DID notice and even though he is only in the first grade, he offered to do the one thing that he knew he could. He knew there was a pillow on my desk that I use when my arm hurts too bad and he was ready to fetch it for me....just let him know. :)
You know, after I started to think about it a little, I realized that for the better part of the last 3 weeks, wherever I positioned myself in that group of first graders, that little boy generally always ended up right by me. When it came time to pick up books and materials at the end of our 30 minutes of group time together, he was always the first one to voluntarily clean things up and haul all my materials back to my room for me. If I passed him in the hallway or noticed him in the lunch room, he would invariably ask, "How is your arm feeling today Mrs. Miller?" And now, come to think of it, when I was walking through the playground last week at recess time, he even stopped a game of four-square as I passed by so that no "wild" serves would hit my arm.
It was as if he had taken ME under HIS wing and was determined that I would not want for much when he was around. I had been so busy taking care of other things that I hadn't even realized how much this young man did for me each day. And the really heart warming thing about it all is this: He didn't do any of this for a cool sticker from my sticker box, or an extra 15 minutes of recess or EVEN a star student award. That little boy did it because he knew THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO~and I thank him for it.
You may remember that I mentioned in an earlier post about how I was becoming more cognizant of the "littlest things" in regards to the healing process of my arm? How thrilling it was to even notice the slightest of bends in the joint of my thumb? Well now I'm wondering how it was that it took me the better part of 3 weeks to realize the touches of "human kindness" that little 7-year old boy was providing for me each and every school day that we were together? What else may I have missed seeing?
Friends, Today-please look for the little things that this life has to offer us. Sometimes they are so subtle that they pass us by quickly and we miss seeing them happening. Is there someone out there who has taken you "under THEIR wing" and you haven't even noticed it yet? I'm going to bet there might just be!
Thankfully, in my case, I FINALLY took notice of all the things that little first-grade boy has been doing for me. On Monday, when we all get back to school together, I'm going to find him and thank him for what he's been doing to help me. And you know what, I can guarantee you that his response will NOT be..."Hey, can I have a "free recess" for that Mrs. Miller?" Nah, not even close.
The conversation will be short and sweet-
Mrs. Miller-"Hey I want to thank you for all of the help you've given me with my sore arm. I really appreciate it!"
First Grade Boy-"No problem. You're welcome!"
Have a wonderful Saturday Facebook Friends and Family!
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