My Gifts That Keep Giving

It was the week before Christmas break and the kids were feeling rowdy. Unlike most teachers who have students who go from rowdy to even more rowdy the week before a long break, my students went from silent and calm non-English speakers to loud, rowdy ENGLISH SPEAKERS. This shift did my heart good. It is amazing to see my students, who come into school knowing little-to-no English, begin to blossom and come into their own and finally start to act like kids. Bring on the rowdy! :)

On the last day before break, I had my students go around and share good news. I have 4 students in this particular group who, up until this point, were unable to share in English. I always gave them a pass knowing they one day would be able to share their news. Today was that day. I told the group that whoever shared good news, or simply told me SOMETHING, ANYTHING out loud in English, would received a special pencil. Almost everyone had shared, and received their pencil. Everyone except one. The group waited as she unsuccessfully tried to pull out the words in English to express her good news. When the words wouldn't come, she sadly nodded "no". One boy realized this right away, jumped up and gave this girl his pencil (knowing that without sharing good news she wouldn't receive one of her own). I watched with tears as these beautiful gifts smiled at each other. One smiling because he gave and the other because she received. Two beautiful children. One gave without thinking. One received with a grateful heart. Both refugees with grand hearts. 

On December 27th I had the awesome opportunity to attend a Karen (Burmese) New Year celebration after being invited by a student of mine. It was an awesome experience and one I felt humbled to be a part of. It was so great to sit next to my student and her family and share in that holiday with all of them. It is a wonderful thing to see where my students come from so that I can help them get to where they need to be. Their different experiences bring so much to our learning. I never want them to think that I'm trying to strip them of their culture in exchange for total assimilation and learning of only the English language. 

I want to close with a quote I pulled from the pastor's sermon at the Karen New Year. He was speaking of his ministry with the Karen people and explained it as such, "We've grown stronger under the Lord thanks to the Karen people."

I couldn't agree more with that statement. I am humbled daily by my kids. They continue to teach me more about life than I ever would dream of teaching them. They get it. I am so thankful to be where I am. 

Here's to graduate school and pushing through the papers and late nights for my kids. They deserve nothing but my best. 

                                             Never has my 5"11, German/Scottish body felt

                                              bigger than it did at the Burmese New Year!