Music to My Ears

Sometimes there are days where my work life and home life are mirror opposites of each other. I can have a great day at work, and then go home, and everything isn't so great. Today is one of those days, and coming up is my birthday. In about a month I'll have a baby shower. I am dreading both days for various reasons. I am not a person who looks forward to such days with hope. I learned long ago not to get my hopes up, and this year is no different. But when I think about what went well at work, it really epitomizes why I love what I do.

When my students came to me less than a month ago, they were not the most avid readers I had met. Last year, I felt guilty if I stopped my class from reading so I could teach a lesson. On some occasions I would even apologize for interrupting them. This year, I had more trouble getting the kids, especially the boys, to sit and focus on a book for more than five minutes.

Fast forward four weeks, and when I look around the room during silent reading time, I see all but one child engrossed in his/her book. In the beginning, the students chose thin books filled with mostly pictures, and now they are mostly back into chapter books. When I tell them they have ten minutes of silent reading time (books of their choice), I hear "YESSSSSS," whispered around the room, and they happily plunge into other worlds.

This week I began reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to the kids. On the first day I saw many apathetic eyes watch me as I read, but I knew with my expression and actions as I read, I would get them into the story. Yesterday I saw more alertness in their eyes and stature. Today, before they came into my room, I told them I would read to them, and again I heard whispered "YESSSSSES," abound.

It's the groans that turn to yeses that affirm why I do what I do. It's a darkness that turns to light when I pull them in and take them hostage with a story. It's why I can feel valued and validated, even when I feel insignificant and unimportant in the rest of my world.

And now, I think I will go read.

YESSSSSSSS!