Thursday, February 3, 2011

Silent Strength

As a teacher, over the years I have come in contact with some very memorable students. Some pleasantly memorable and others not so much so. Most of the time it's the quietest ones that slip through unnoticed. Not this time.

Avi is a student I had for three years in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. He was always a quiet student, and when I say quiet I mean....'if you don't talk to me I'm not going to say one word to you all year' kind of quiet. Me being the reserved and soft spoken person I am (not) I made it my mission to bring him out of his shell. So everyday I would hug him and make him hug me back, brandish his forehead with kisses, harass him for being a Kentucky Wildcat fan, and call on him in class every chance I got. Needless to say, nothing worked! However, we did develop a great relationship and he would actually smile at me even when he didn't want to....it became an reflex response whenever I smiled at him.

He's in fifth grade now and no longer in my class. However, he makes it a point to stop by my door whenever he's wearing a UK shirt, hasn't seen me in a couple days, U of L lost a game, or just because. When word got out at school that I had breast cancer I received an e-mail from his mom telling how panic-stricken and upset he was. The most touching part of Avi's personality is his sensitivity. She would touch bases with me to see how I was doing, ask if I needed anything, and send Avi's regard. Well, Sunday he came to visit me. He was excited and nervous. I recognized that smile and that panic-stricken look on his face. We sat and had a nice visit during which he only spoke when I spoke first but smiled alot! . He has been keeping up with my blog and actually keeps the most inspiring ones in his binder to remind him of courage and strength. So even though I am not at school with my kids I am content in knowing that I STILL touch lives.



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