so today i got my first "i hate you" from a student.
it's not that i'm unfamiliar with the expression or even that i haven't heard it before. (i've been babysitting since i was ten and these things called bedtimes exist-i know what hate looks like) anyway, i left school today and teared up on my drive home for a variety of reasons. first, it's never nice to be told you're hated. even if the person saying it is six and toothless. i also felt terrible for not being able to better articulate my instructions and expectations. i can't help but feel that if i had been better at communicating with this nugget i could've avoided the drama entirely. it also bothers me that this peanut knows about language filled with so much hate. that kind of thing isn't innate; it's learned. what i will say is i find it pretty remarkable that i can go from being "the meanest person in the history of forever" to being someone worth hugging at the the end of the day. that, my friends, is the beauty of early childhood. nothing lasts longer than a day and there is no such thing as grudge holding. every day is a new day. a new chance. that's pretty neat in my book. and tomorrow. i'll try again. and so will the child who hated me so only a handful of hours earlier. it'll be a good day. i just know it. xo, ld
1 Comment
Liz
1/22/2014 12:13:18 pm
This one made me almost tear of Laur, but you responded with so much insight! I'm so proud of you already, even in your first few weeks!
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