Each one of my students is remarkable. Every lovely lady and handsome fella brings something entirely unique and lovable to our little school. (Of course, the lovable quirks come alongside the not-so-lovable tendencies, but the good stuff--almost always--outweighs the tough stuff.)
This lady has been with me for two years. She is kind, and independent, and considerate, and brilliantly creative.
I can't give her enough work. She is always wanting more. She beats to the sound of her own drum. Some days she wears camo pants. Some days she wears sparkly, pink, tulle skirts. Every day she runs into the classroom as if it is brand new all over again. She is writing a novel about surviving in the woods and living off the land. She is painting Chinese scrolls. She is mastering multiplication facts and asking for giant division problems. She is making her study of Tigers look like she is discovering ground-breaking information that cannot be kept silent.
During the first week of school this year, I asked my students to write about an experience they had this summer. Most wrote about a trip with Grandma or a fun time with their siblings. This lady wrote about getting caught in an eddy (a sometimes dangerous counter-current/ whirlpool) while she was on the river with her dad. It actually was a pretty scary situation for their family--and dad had to jump in and rescue her. Here is what she wrote:
No "I went to the park. It was really fun!" She came out swinging on the first day of school with "All I could think about was Up! and Air!" Thank you, brilliant child, for making me want to write!
She hasn't stopped producing extraordinary work since that first day. Or actually from the first day she stepped foot in this classroom. She was tinier then. And didn't read very quickly. And wasn't an award-winning speller. But she came ready to create.
And she has created! She has also grown about a foot since the beginning of this year. I keep telling her to slow down, but she is not listening!
We will part ways at the end of this year, but I know I will hear about her one day. I call her my "leader of the free world". She doesn't do the cool or popular thing--she walks with confidence in who she is and what she is capable of. She lives with undeniable zeal for life, and she won't go anywhere without others taking notice of her.
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