Listening and Learning
Last week I received a brightly colored envelope through inner office mail. It was packed with cards telling me that each designer was glad I was going to be their pen pal for the year. They asking me many questions about who I was, did I have children, and even how old I was. The cards also invited me to come and meet them, read a story if I had time and go to lunch.
I have displayed each of those cards on my wall in the office…including the envelope they came in.
When you get cards like that, you want to keep them and look at them often.
I plan on saving each one and placing them in my family memory book for this year. They remind me how creative young people are and how special they are to me for taking the time to make and send the cards.
I went to visit Ms. Hite’s 2nd graders earlier this week.
It was the most fun I had all week long.
Her classroom was inviting to walk in to. The children were busily finishing up math as I entered the room. They moved quietly to their seats and waited until I got settled into a very special rocking chair.
The rocking chair once belonged to Ms. Hite’s grandmother. I suspect her grandmother read many stories to her while sitting in that chair. The chair is now in a distinctive place of honor in her classroom where she and other visitors read to her students.
I was honored to be sitting there.
The boys and girls gathered around on the floor and we talked. Young people have inquisitive minds and ask lots of great questions. These boys and girls introduced themselves and asked intelligent questions in a very respectful way.
Their thoughts quickly turned to reading a story. I have just written a book of short stories about my life and I read a few of the tales to them. They had lots of questions and comments after each one.
Since my book has a scene of a country road with lots of trees on the front cover, I asked my mother, who is also very creative, to design and make a refrigerator leaf magnet for each of the children. We talked a few minutes about the leaves changing on the trees this time of year and I shared the unique leaves with each child so they could remember our first visit together.
Reading time soon came to an end and we were off to lunch and recess.
My first visit with Ms. Hite’s class was wonderful. It reminded me that being young is a fantastic time of life. It’s a time when you have lots of energy and creativity, are anxious to learn and share your thoughts, and believe good things are going to happen in your life.
I expect to see great things happening from each of these students and I will be proud to say I knew them when they were young. Who knows? I may even have the signature of a future president of the USA in my memory book!
My wish for you today is that you have a chance to be with children in a class like Ms. Hite’s. Taking the time to visit, read, volunteer, learn from students, and see young minds active in a positive way is important for us as adults. It reminds us that every child has the potential to make a difference in the world today.
Thanks, Ms. Hite’s class, for reminding me of that.
~ Joellen