yesterday, my post was a note from a former student
with a list of her top 5 things
that I had taught her
while in my class
way back when she was little.
we had a multi-age pre-k room
so children stayed with us for two years
we saw a lot of
growth and change in them
over that span of time.
she was always
very responsible
a rule follower
she learned to open her mind
to new ideas, to use her imagination
we made fairy houses together
she created art and wrote stories.
in contrast
another student
told me
that he had tried for two years
to teach me something
that i never seemed to really learn
he loved facts and non-fiction books
in the spring of both years
when we’d go out into the woods
on adventures in nature
looking under green sprouts and budding trees
i was always looking for the fairies
while he was always trying to teach me
that fairies weren’t real
because ‘they were not science.’
he did teach me a lot about science
but I just never learned
no matter how many times he tried to tell me
about the fairies
I always said
‘it depends on what you believe,
whatever you want to believe is true to you.’
he would just shake his head.
but every so often
I would see him
peeking under the budding stems and leaves
(where they might be hiding)
or blowing the dandelion seeds
(to spread the new fairy babies)
and just maybe….
—
‘only the curious have something to find.’
-sean watkins
I didn't have my glasses on.... 