my reward

We had a field trip today and holy moly was it hot. Even without the squirt bottles we brought to spray the kids (and ourselves) it would have looked like we went to a water park.

It was so fun to watch the kids here. The PTA bought every child a ticket to ride the carousal which was so sweet. Most of the kids haven't ever been on a carousal, let alone did they know what it even was! (In English that is) So watching them ride was a reward in itself.

But for me, the real reward came outside of the glassblowing building before sitting on a bench.

My group consisted of 3 boys. One wanderer, both in mind and body, one loud, fast runner, and one stinker who I would take home with me in a minute but is a totally irritating student. He never, ever, ever stops talking. I'm talking never quiet. It's like he doesn't even know I'm right next to him and he'll just spurt out anything he's thinking. He was the only one who ever "moved his name down" consistantly in my class and had to miss recess. Though he was irritating and frustrating, I often teased him about how chatty he was and that I am chatty too, but I control myself and if he's ever a teacher he can chat as much as he wants. This, obviously, isn't the reward.

Back to the glassblowing building. We stood in the building that held over 2,000 degree fires to help mold glass into beautiful vases only to step back outside to the 97 degrees the day held for us. We were waiting for our partner group to walk out and out of no where, he gives it to me - my reward.

"You're like the best teacher I ever had in my whole life."

And that was it. I could have cried on the spot. I thought he didn't think much of me because I was always taking his recess, threatening to call home, moving him to his own island so he'd stop talking (which he still talked, but to me since his seat was in front of my table), and his name was always being said from me in and irritated way. But he said it, I was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. And that's 10 years of life!

He didn't stick around for the hugs and love like my girls do when they say this stuff to me. He simply walked over to his friend and continued to play squirt me in the face with the water. That's how I knew he really meant it.

I'll never forget it. Not ever.