Little Things

It's the little things that mean the most. This morning a fifth grader hugged me when she saw me. Then she said that she'd missed me over the weekend. That surprised me, because she's never been that affectionate before. It's true that one day last week I helped her work on a writing piece, but I had no idea that I had made such a strong connection with her. However, perhaps that small kindness mattered more than I thought.

Today another girl shared some concerns with me about her schoolwork. She's not even one of my students, but I met her when Nancy assessed her English level. Anyway, she told me that she has trouble getting her work done because she has to come to ELL class. She's clearly worried about it, so I mentioned her concerns to Beth, her ELL teacher.

Then there was the boy singing along happily during one of Beth's lessons this afternoon. He was in an accident in the spring, and many people have said that they're surprised he's alive. Yet there he was, singing and participating well.

It's the little things that matter most.