Lately life has been kind of difficult between complicated friend issues and family health complications. I have found myself staring out the window a lot and wondering what the hell am I supposed to do to make it all better. I still don't have any real answers, but I did get a wonderful gift. I spent all of last week in AZ visiting my grandma who is not doing too well right now. I arrived back in town just in time to attend my school's annual fundraiser. Coco accompanied me there and got to meet my co-workers for the first time. We drank a lot of sangria, drooled over some of the auction items, and ever few minutes another co-worker approached me to inquire about the health of my grandma. At first I was a little annoyed because though it has been the big thing on my mind, I haven't really wanted to think about it. But then Coco made the comment how nice it was to be surrounded by people who care. And I guess that sums up where I work. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who care. The other teachers I work with are genuinely beautiful people, and we are led by a head of school who daily teaches me something new about what it really means to be compassionate, to act always out of kindness and genuine concern for others.
Today instead of having a Spanish lesson, my class got kind of derailed. The students came in very upset by what was happening with two of their classmates. One person was physically picking on another and to retaliate the other began sending that student hateful emails. As a result, the entire fifth grade has become polarized. There are those who are taking sides, and those who refuse to take sides, and a whole flurry of rumors based on some truth or dare secrets that got leaked. Though some would say it's just kids stuff, the more I work with the littles, the more I realize that what happens to them on a daily basis is an exact replica of "the real world", they are just newer to the game that us adults and haven't yet figured out of how to cope or what role to play. What was so amazing to me was that I was the adult they trusted enough to talk to...from there, with their permission, I called in my boss, the head of school, who then facilitated a class discussion where every voice was heard, where every opinion was listened to. My students got to express themselves and brainstorm solutions, and I was blessed not only with the privilege of really getting to see what's going on in their world, but also to once again see my boss in action. He really loves his job and he is great at it. I feel so lucky to be able to learn from him.
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