Too Slow

Classes resumed today, after a winter break that lasted longer than expected. This was due to our attempts to have class on days early in December that were VERY cold, so kids didn't come; and the apartment office holding a holiday party on a day we planned to teach. When the class began in July of 2006, we decided to follow the elementary school schedule. Classes in the schools began this week.

It's kind of funny to have two teachers and one student, but that's what we had today. Sometimes there are 15 kids... In a free class, for which kids don't register, it goes with the territory. (In future entries I'll describe the logistics of the class, and why some constructs are the way they are.) The other teacher and I were eager to implement a cheer and a physical warm up. This was our strategy to keep the pace moving, and to hold the attention of the kids for the hour.

Our ONE student, we'll call Cindy, arrived and we were really happy. This does pose an interesting dilemma, When does class begin? Does it begin the moment the first student walks in, or at some point in the future that may never come when others arrive? The other teacher and I eagerly greeted Cindy. She stepped in the room, and said, "I'm thirsty" and stepped right back out to get a drink at the water fountain. When I was seven I vaguely remember the pull of the water fountain.... (that was such a long time ago.)

It was 5 minutes after our start time when she came back in, so we decided to start right away. As we verbalized to each other our question of whether Cindy knew the song we always sing at the beginning and looked at each other, she stood up and muttered, "I'm thirsty." The comment was loudly uttered, "You can get a drink at the break. Come back please." It had that desired quality of firm and polite. About 2 seconds after that she said, "I need to go to the bathroom." Those are the magic words. The training I've had of working with kids has convinced me to ALWAYS let kids go to the bathroom. As she left I hollered, "Wash your hands afterwards and then you can get a drink."

Cindy came back in and we asked her to sit down. The other teacher and I began singing. Cindy said a few unintelligible words throughout the song - her attempt to remember the words and tune and sing along. I had forgotten in 6 weeks that kids will often do that. They may not get one word, but they try! It's so endearing! (Adults never do that. Perhaps it's being inhibited, as we adults are.)

Then the pace down slowed, as we transitioned from the song to our new framework.... our cheer. Our ONE student began chatting continuously. She didn't take a breath. We couldn't divert her to begin the new cheer. She bravely defied us. One of us interrupted Cindy, trying to use polite and kind voices. We did redirect her and we taught her the cheer.

Between returning from getting water, and the cheer, several times she asked when we'd have the snack. (Now I remember. Cindy just loves the snack. Even if we see her outside before class begins, and she can't attend class that day, she asks for the snack.) I'm the older teacher, so often I take the lead on redirecting students. Each time the snack was brought up I'd say, "At the end. Close to 5 o'clock." Then she asked again. This time my reply was, "I'll be the one to let everyone know when we're having our snack. I won't forget. I'll tell you. You won't have to ask." (My mother used similar directions with us. I think I'm turning into my mother.) About 3 minutes went by, and she asked about the snack. I looked at her and gently reminded her, "Who's going to tell you when it's time for the snack?" and she said, "You" and I said, "That's right" and we went back to the lesson.

Almost from the beginning of the class, Cindy was asking about coloring (in addition to asking about getting a drink and the snack). Now it was time to color! She was READY! We were ready too! She asked if me if I was going to color. I mentioned that since I'd be telling the story, it would be difficult to read and color. That seemed to make sense to her. The other teacher would be, though.

It didn't seem to matter that the story was going to be about fairness, she immediately began to color a sun, a heart.... several hearts. Then it was wrapped gifts. I held my tongue. When Cindy asked why the other teacher wasn't coloring, he said that he was waiting to hear the story before beginning to draw. (That was excellent modeling.)

The story was read, comments about the coloring and the story were made and it was a nice time of connecting as teachers and student, and thinking of fairness. That was the lesson: fairness. After that, the moment Cindy had been waiting for - SNACK! We multi-tasked completing drawing, putting the supplies away, getting the snack and eating the snack.

Eating and finishing the snack seemed to signal to Cindy that class was over. We hadn't mentioned it, but before we knew it, she was at the door and saying good bye. I was dazed and confused... I had not dismissed 'the class' and we had not said our good byes. It wasn't even 5 o'clock yet. We never manage to finish on time, much less early.

"Wait! Cindy! Come back so we can have a prayer and all leave together."

We were not sure at first what we heard as the door closed, but quickly realized.... she said,

"Too slow."

(This was one of those situations that the teachers shouldn't laugh, but we had to laugh at her spunky, brave taunt.)

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What was the lesson today?

Virtue: fair(ness)

"We ask God to endow human souls with justice so that they may be fair..."
~ from the Baha'i Writings