The Fourth Love of my Life

I talk a lot about my love for food and books (and I suppose my husband belongs in that category too). But I’ve been quieter about another all-consuming passion of mine - my students.

I love my students.

They make me laugh, cry, think, and wonder. Seventeen years in the classroom, and I’m still just as amazed by them as I am by daily sunsets. I know it’s going to happen every day, but I just don’t know exactly what colors will stretch across the sky or what new brilliance will beam forth from my students’ brains.

Maybe it’s because my days in this space and with these big-hearted kids are numbered. At the end of this year, I’ll bravely restrain floods of unshed tears as I think back on some of the brilliant things that were said and done in this room.

Not by me, of course. By these creative, curious, joy-filled creatures.

I teach elementary science. When someone hears that, he or she will usually say some version of one (or all) of these things:

- “How fun! Must be nice to get summers off.”

- “So…kindergarten? What kind of science do they do, coloring and cutting animal pictures with scissors?”

- “That must be a blast! I remember when I was in first grade, and we released some butterflies!”

- “You must be EXHAUSTED. I can’t even stand to be with my own kid for more than a few hours.”

I have a tough time with all of these. Yes, I’m usually exhausted, but working with children brings me great, inimitable joy. Summers are great, but are we counting the hours spent on classroom planning, curriculum research, and professional development?

What I take greatest umbrage to, though, is this terrible misconception that kids don’t do ‘real’ work. Yes, our second graders study butterflies. They’ve also examined the CT scans of developing painted lady pupae. And conducted behavioral tests on African bess beetles before that. I’ve watched our children present their expertise before families, visitors, and high schoolers with aplomb that adults wish they had.

It’s just my humble opinion. But I think children are capable of far more than coloring and cutting.

And that’s just what we’ve done. I can’t even begin to tell you some of the terrific things they ask, suggest, question, and say. Like my fourth grader, Hailey*, who regularly begs me to sit at her lunch table. She's been asking since January. It was a frustrating month of impromptu meetings, prep work, and emails, but I finally made the stars align so we could sit together (even turning down a Google invite from an administrator so I could honor my appointment with her).

When I saw down at the table, Hailey got down to business. Forking her lasagna with fresh vim, she ran the show like a boss. “So. Mrs. Choi, I invited you here today because my dream is to become a NASA engineer. I believe you can get me there. So if you’ve got time, I have a few questions about space.”

I was floored. Can't you just imagine her in a power suit (or a jumpsuit, since we’re talking about engineering aspirations), knocking people out of their seats with her poise? It was not only one of the most scintillating conversations I’d had in awhile; it was also peppered with pure childlike fun. In between discussions about the expanding universe and the Doppler effect, our table also discussed the longest word in the dictionary, the cutest puppy breed, and favorite Starbucks beverages.

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This week has been a momentous one for our school. It was my first time going to school without a mask on. In TWO years.

Students have been stopping short in the hallways when they see me. They ponderously take in the sight of my naked nose and lips. “You look…different” is what I’ve heard all week. With the pause inserted nearly every single time as students search for an adjective to describe a face that they’ve seen every day but haven’t really known in its fullness.

Something about not having a piece of fabric over our faces has suddenly made me feel like I’m seeing and hearing my students for the first time. So while I share my love of food and books with you, I’d like to take a little time - in these twilight moments of my teaching career - to show you around our classroom and introduce you to some seriously genius human beings.

More to come soon. For now, I’ll leave you with a few real quotes from my very real students just today -

• “Your face! Oh, your FACE! Mrs. Choi, you’re So bOOty-FOAL! (Pause) Well, like I said, it’s very nice but I like my face better.”

• "That brown looks like poops. You know, the blooppurty kind you get after you eat too much or too fast."

• “Mrs. Choi, do you have a friend? If not, can I be your friend?”

And winner takes gold -

“I’m TRYing to sit criss cross, but my balls just keep getting in the way.”

(He actually had two balls in his back pocket, but heh, I know what you were thinking.)

*Names of students have and will be changed to protect their identities.