i just wanna say um..give older kids a chance. kids don’t “stop” being cute and fun when they turn 9. they’re not more difficult or annoying, it’s just that the world stops caring about them past a certain age so things become colder. show that same amount of nurture and love you give to a 4 year old to an 11 year old, a 12 year old, a 15 year old, etc.
every day i’ve been reading to 60 6th graders (~12 years old). two classes combine. some would throw up at the idea of dealing with one pre-pubescent kid let alone 60. but i do it. do you know what happens? they rush up to the front of the classroom like they’re around a campfire. they’re completely silent. a couple boys share a beanbag and lay skin to skin and for once let their guard down and don’t worry about two boys sharing a beanbag “looking gay”. some kids lay on the floor, arms stretched above their head and gaze up at the ceiling while i read, inhaling every word. while most kids read along, a few put their books down and just listen, because they struggle to read along and it’s soothing to be read to. why do we stop reading to kids once they turn 9? do you know how excited 12 year olds get when they can be nurtured like that and read to for a half hour? we read a chapter of The Lightning Thief each day, and they listen. today was my last day with these kids and each of them, both boys and girls, came up and gave me a hug. it caught me off guard. the boys that were too cool for school. the one girl that was developmentally slower and was very withdrawn. the kids that i always had to talk to because they never shut up. the kids that i thought didn’t really care about me at all. they individually said goodbye and wished me well and hugged me. they’re still kids! and they know and appreciate the love you give them! and especially if you’re considering teaching..give that age range a chance. we have too many people that only want the “cute little ones” and don’t want to give love to older kids.
we are alive on a planet that has water and love and crunchy peanut butter and poetry and flowers and books and kissing. I will not fret about the not so good stuff anymore.
““When someone tells you, “I love you,” and then you feel, “Oh, I must be worthy after all,” that’s an illusion. That’s not true. Or someone says, “I hate you,” and you think, “Oh, God, I knew it; I’m not very worthy,” that’s not true either. Neither one of these thoughts hold any intrinsic reality. They are an overlay. When someone says, “I love you,” he is telling you about himself, not you. When someone says, “I hate you,” she is telling you about herself, not you. World views are self views—literally.””
