I have a lot of catching up to do!
Since my first day at work, I fell completely in love with my 4-year-olds. They were so adorable and innocent. I love the little things that they say that show how little they know about the real world... Unfortunately, that program (Operation Breakthrough) ended last week, so I won't be seeing the babies anymore...
I guess one thing that I realized about that program was my inability to really get the adults that I worked with to respect me. They addressed me occasionally, and I guess I didn't feel really needed there. I think that's more of my desire to be relevant which is really not that important. Anyway, I just hope I made a difference with the kids and helped them in some way. I certainly learned how to cope with their constant desire to have anything they want, which is something that will come in hand in later years.
With the K-6 kids, they're really different. They're all beginning to be a bit hormonal, and they all want to fit in so they like to copy each other. Then the little kids are bratty but so adorable...
One of our supervisors wanted them to memorize poems for their presentation this Monday, and the poems are random motivational poems; however, they don't even rhyme and they don't even have a specific rhythm... Well I worked with two 3rd graders, one kindergartner, and sometimes one 1st grader and one 4th grader. It was honestly so difficult, and I just felt like I was pulling teeth. I felt bad that I had to bribe them since they're not always going to have some sort of substantial reward for just following directions... A few days ago, they had a rehearsal and they had to recite their poems for the lady who assigned them, and my kids were perfect in their recitations. I was so proud :) I think that was the first time that I actually felt maybe an inkling of how parents feel when their kids have done well in school or how teachers feel when students actually try.
One thing that happened at work today was a little unexpected I guess. The kids have a dance teacher named Mr. Haddis. Mr. Haddis is black, middle aged, and very very talkative. He approached Celeste and I as we were about to leave and he basically made references to the fact that I was Asian and female... Celeste and I were both really blown away by that, and I'm glad that Celeste and I did have similar reactions. I was really surprised that race was brought into an innocent conversation, and even though I do sometimes feel some favoritism towards Celeste because she's black, I've never heard anyone point at race so outwardly before. Besides, even with the favoritism towards Celeste, I feel like she deserves it because she's a really great people person that I really admire and from whom I'm learning a lot. Anyway, Mr. Haddis's comments were just a good reminder that there are some things that I just can't avoid, and that is part of the reason why my mom wants me to work harder so that my merits can outweigh any disadvantages from my skin color.
Before I left for work today, however, I saw something really selfless. I was walking across the street to meet Celeste to go to work and it was pouring like none other. As I was crossing I heard a dog bark, and I saw a woman in a wheelchair (and the dog on a leash next to her) who seemed to be waiting for someone. I saw a guy come out of his parked car with an umbrella and he started helping the woman with something. I assumed that he was her assistant and that he was just going to help her get her wheelchair moving and then park his car or something. As Celeste and I were driving past them, she wondered if they needed any help. She rolled down her window, and as it was going, we saw that the woman was finally able to move and we heard her say to the guy, "so what was your name again?" As we drove off, we saw him push her to whereever she was going while the rain poured and poured.
I haven't seen anyone decide to help someone truly in need and just cast aside their belongings to do a good deed. Even when the Bible tells us that we must always be prepared to leave our possessions and follow the Lord, it can sometimes be so difficult for us to do so; yet, this guy was willing to leave his car haphazardly parked in the road with probably a lot of possessions in it to help a woman he did not know and to see that she got safely to where she needed to be. That's just... amazing.
Mm those are most of my thoughts for today!
