words

It's quiet time, and I just looked over at A with his head down, eyes closed, and realized how far we have come.

A couple of months ago every single day was a face-off. During quiet time, he would instantly begin to cry -- loudly. Eventually, I could get him to sit in his seat quietly, but he refused to close his eyes. If I asked him to close them he would scream and wake everyone up. I could never decide if it was better for me to get him to follow the rules, or to have quiet during quiet time. He had absolutely no skills for expressing what he needed or wanted, so he would simply cry all day long.

Today, someone upset him and he began to cry. All I had to say was, "use your words." He stopped crying and told me what had happened. I'm so proud of him.

Something that amazes me about teaching is how dynamic some of my relationships are with my kids. I need to supply constant care and growth in order to for them to remain positive. Sometimes my children need all of the support, scaffolding, love, and nurturing I can muster. Sometimes they need very little. For A, it's a hug first thing in the morning, a thumbs up at some point in the afternoon, and a little tough love.