I have a little guy in my class. He is very quiet. Very quiet. The first day of school, he stood in the doorway and refused to come in and would not tell me his name. He is more comfortable now, and actually speaks to me from time to time. His small face has very little expression, so when he smiles, I know I have hit a home run. He is smiling more and more with each day, but every once in a while, he gets his feelings hurt. Whenever he is upset, he either freezes on the spot and stands there for 10-15 minutes or sits and cries. Silently. Most times, he cannot tell me why he is upset and so we have learned to just wait it out and eventually, he will recover and join the class.
Last week, I was reading a story to the class and I happened to see my little guy with tears running down his face. I was mentally running through the events in the afternoon, trying to figure out what upset him while continuing to read. Then I was blessed to see a small kindness, a moment in time that was so very precious and fleeting, but so immensely powerful . The little girl sitting next to him reached over and carefully wiped his tears with her hand and patted his back. Then she leaned her head against his. He didn't look at her. But the tears stopped and a teeny, tiny little smile slowly appeared on his face. Moments like those are why I teach.
