Acceptance

Friday, 2 February 2007

def.:a disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations

This was January's character word and earlier in the week Mrs. C told me Emily would be given the star character award in Friday's all school assembly. I wanted this to be a surprise for her, so I didn't tell her why we were going to attend the assembly - we just went. I asked GR if he might possibly be able to get off work early, so he could attend as well, and he was able to pull it off!

We got there just as students were starting to gather in the gym, and took a spot on the floor along the outer edge of the gym and waited. While we waited, Emily turned to me and said in a really excited tone, "I hope Becca get's another award!" - ahhhhh! Could she be any sweeter!? - if she only knew I thought!

Her face totally lit up when Mr. F called her name ... this time around they started with the 6th graders and worked their way down the line, so we'd listened to a lot of names ... and it never stopped beaming.

This is what her teacher said about why Emily was awarded the Acceptance Award:

"She is kind and caring to all her classmates and often tries to get others to accept people as they are."



Wednesday 28 February 2007

At PT conferences last week Mrs. C was so complementary of Emily. Her progress reports blow me away, not to mention her ability to read and spell! She is a real example for other children in her class - and there are some kids who are really, really struggling to get some of the basic concepts this year.

Mrs. C was asking me about how Emmy liked class and if she seemed comfortable with the kids she sits around. Em sits next to a little girl who's had a pretty rough life for a five/six year old. Lately she's been obsessed with everyone at her table and in the classroom knowing that her father is in jail - for a solid week that is all she would talk about constantly! It was driving Mrs. C, and all the kids, crazy!

Anyway, Mrs. C was worried Emily might be concerned about another students father being in jail ... she hadn't mentioned it in any of our many conversations about school and her classmates. This week I've been asking more probing questions in an effort to get her to open up and tell me more. Still no mention of this little girls dad or her concerns about it. When she talks about T, the impression I get, is that Emily puts absolutely no stock in what this child says. Emily likes her, considers her a friend, accepts her, but seems to instinctively know it's not worth her time to internalize anything she says ... so wise!

If only more adults could learn to do this ...