during my first year of teaching, i discussed the concept of respect with my class of 3rd-5th graders. after, we each wrote something about what respect meant to us. this was written by an 8-year-old, and was my favorite:
i suppose i should have known it would read something like this, coming from my little guy who was a pragmatic vegan buddhist.
An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.
today, with no school and home once again, i’ll make a simmering pot of tomato basil soup in honor of my young writer. this one’s for you, r. i think you would respect it, i know i will.
Writing and cookery are just two different means of communication. – Maya Angelou
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
Oh how cute is that letter, my brother when he is mean and some soup, you have some priceless momentos. Your soup looks yum Beth 🙂 x
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jen – yes, as you can tell i love to hang on to special writings and photos. thanks )
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Bon appetite
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diana – thanks, it is the perfect day for it )
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But he doesn’t tell us which soup! I’m wondering which ones deserve my respect.
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ah, and therein lies one of the great mysteries of life –
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I love, love, love this note. Out of the mouths of babes. And I love this post.
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i loved his note too, so much. and thank you )
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I get that, I have no respect for mosquitos either. And a great choice of quotes to go with your piece … thanks for the morning smile …
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ty, and my pleasure )
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Yes, I respect a good, hot, tomato basil soup, Beth. And I respect your illuminating blog. I have nominated you for The Lighthouse Award because you always make me smile and think.
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wow, thank you so much. for all of that. and i respect your comment.
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A very good series of thoughts and wonderfully brief.
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thank you and i generally agree that less is more.
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I LOVED teaching fifth grade! I miss it sometimes. The kids are old enough to understand big concepts but still willing to be honest 🙂 I always loved reading their stuff.
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oh, they were great fun. i’ve taught kindergarten since then, and i love their energy and open minds )
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I have high regard for people who can teach kindergarten. I don’t think people realize how hard it is. I could never do it! My kids had GREAT kindergarten teachers who took the kids seriously and made their first experience at school wonderful.
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i think each age has its own challenges, and i admire people who teach at other levels, i also marvel at how they do it. luckily there is someone for everyone )
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So true.
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Love tomato soup! What a wise kid in his own way..lol
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he truly was )
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What a great letter. It sounds like that young man has a good grasp of the important things in life.
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you are so right, barb )
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That is really cute. I love how cows get top billing. More people need to respect cows! 🙂 And I’m with him about mosquitoes. Who needs them?
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well, he’s a friendly vegan )
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This was quite a list of different things this little wise young soul wrote about that represented who and what he did and didn’t “respect.” I loved the list, Beth! I also like the fact you saved it and then, shared it with us! Hugs, Robin p.s. I just wrote and saved in my drafts a soup post! Funny, but you will see its connection to sports, tomorrow…
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thanks robin – sorry about the button but happy you liked it anyway )
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Don’t worry, I retraced my steps and got it now! Ha ha!
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Your like button is frozen, so considered this post, loved! Robin
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How old is this little guy now? Hmmm, “little guy” probably isn’t the right description for him any more.
One of my daughter’s students from her second year of teaching invited her to his graduation last year. He told her that she was her favorite teacher and it would mean a lot to him if she could come. She had moved to another part of the state, but she just couldn’t turn him down. She posted a photo of him hugging her after the graduation and the little boy to whom she had taught the alphabet was at least a foot taller than her. Despite that, he teared up when he saw that she had come to watch him graduate.
Teachers are truly special, especially the ones like you who help shape the minds of the littlest ones.
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he is in his 20s now, and i’m quite sure he is bigger than me. i’ve stayed friends with some of the families and love to see and hear how everyone is doing. that is so great that your daughter did that, i’m sure it meant the world to that boy. thank you for your kinds words, they help shape me as well. )
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I’m loving some soup right now. 🙂
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mmmmmm
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love it! Soup looks fabulous and worthy of respect 🙂
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p.s. Love Maya Angelou’s quote!!
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thought you’d like that quote –
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thanks, liz )
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That soup would pair beautifully with my sandwich recipe that’s posted on my blog…in September. You’re making me hungry. I loved the “respect” items shared by the student. I wonder if he disrespects ‘cream of broccoli’ soup as much as I do…of course, in my case, being allergic to broccoli made that easy. 😉
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oh, i’ll read back and find your sandwich. something about sandwiches make them the perfect match for soup. whoever came up with that combo in the first place was brilliant. i loved his list too and i suppose we each have our own soup we disrespect, if we think about it ) now onto that sandwich –
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I teach high school… Their letters are not as cute.
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ah, i understand –
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That Mencken quote reminds me of that fable, where the hen (?) is pretty sure to make a delicious cake, only delicious ingredients should be added–and skips the staples like flour, baking soda, etc…
to respect soup, well…that nutshells how wonderful this slice of a child’s view is. Thanks for sharing the refrigerator wisdom!!
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all so true, and my pleasure )
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Hi there:
What a sweet student.
You have “liked” many of my posts and this is my first visit. I’m usually in such a hurry to wade through e-mail it’s easy to Think a Thank-you and never say it, so Thanks for your attention to my work. With my “soup post” today (normally I don’t “do” food on my blog) this seemed the appropriate place to start reading. Sincerely, Patrice S.
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thanks, patrice. stop by whenever you have the time and inclination ) best, beth
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Love, love Beth. My 8 yr old writes and says things like that. I record some things and save all her notes to her sister( my 10 yr old) she is quite the writer and very expressive.
Love the soup, made me want a grilled cheese panini with it …
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i know, those notes are absolutely priceless. and that sounds like a winning soup and sandwich combo )
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