I am amazed by how thoughtful and loving kids are sometimes to their parents. I used to bake for my class. Sometimes it would be brownies. Other times it would be banana bread. On more than one occasion, a student would take a bite out of it and ask for a napkin, “I want to save it for my mom.” While it is possible that they didn’t like it, I like to believe that they really like it and want to share it with someone they love.
During cooking class over the summer, this boy wanted to save a cookie for his mom, while other kids would just eat what they can and save the rest for themselves later. Joshua has always been a very quiet student, but he never fails to reveal his affections in unique ways. He asked me to wrap the cookie and then he placed it carefully in his pocket. I’m sure that by the end of a day, the cookie would have crumbled into many, many pieces. But I imagine that his mom would still appreciate every bit of it!
After teaching for several year, I had a chance to teach quite a few siblings, of former students. I am baffled by how one sibling can be so different from the other. Just like, how challenging my class is this year, in comparison to my classes in previous years: I have never had so many challenging and needy students all in one class!
I shouldn’t be so surprised. As much as my brother and I are alike, we don’t have identical personalities. Our parents learn to enjoy us in our unique ways. I shouldn’t compare one class with another, but take each class as it is. In time, I hope to recognize the “cookie” from this class, in its unique configuration.
