And this is why I do this...

A little boy came into my classroom today during one of the morning breaks and handed me a folded piece of paper. This wasn't so new to me as many kids come and ask me to write anything on peices of paper so they can learn how to spell it or show it off to their friends. If I have stickers I'll put a few on, if not, I'll draw a happy face. I didn't think much of it when he first handed it to me and then as I unfolded it, soon realized it was something else entirely. What was inside was a typed letter, about two paragraphs long, and seriously put a huge smile on my face.

"Dear Noemie,

You may feel suprised at this letter -- a strange letter from a stranger. (At this point I was thinking, wow, this kid can write...BUT...) I feel so sorry if I bother you too much, but I am here writing to you only to express my gratitude for your kindness to my son Peter (--the little boy now must be standing in front of you, wondering what will happen magically next). You can't believe how excited he was when he came home from school yesterday afternoon! He told me everything that happened between you and him, so happily, proudly, and confidently! To tell you the truth, he didn't show much interest in learning English last semester, but now, all have changed. So thank you very much for your encouragement!

At last, Would you please teach Peter how to read your name? It appears to be a French name, doesn't it? We know little of French, so I was not able to teach him the correct pronunciation. What a shame!

Yours,
Echo (Peter's Mom)"

It's funny how sometimes the smallest thing - like this letter, can make such an impact on a person. I hardly said much to the boy the day before as he really just wanted me to write out my name on a peice of paper. I tried to get a few words from him, but he had been so shy I didn't think much of it. There are days when I think no one cares about what anyone does. There are even days when I get angry at people and the rude carelessness that happens day to day to day. I've always been the kind of person who tries to make others happy because there just isn't enough of it around. Smiling, listening, believing in the goodness in people... Small acts of kindness that are all too overlooked in this world. The stuff that makes us human.

I guess what I am trying to get to, and this may just be verbal diarrhea, but it's the fact that kindness goes a long way, and I saw some proof of it today.

I felt like I was going in the right direction, not with what I was doing, or where I was going, but with who I was in this world. I was happy that despite the world we are in, I was still able to find the time to smile and convince Peter that he didn't have to be afraid of strangers.

I know sometimes I may be too "nice", or care too much, or even put too much time into things, but at the end of the day, I like who I am.



xx love!!