I'll begin by saying; I've never had it. Nor would I have considered being pretty and popular a problem. But today with my fifth graders my eyes were opened. At recess, I was taking pictures of the kids so we can work with the photos in our computer class.
Enter: Katrina Van Tassel and Ichabod Crane.
Ichabod: Can you take a picture of me with Katrina?
Triteacher: Sure, set it up and I'll snap it.
Minutes pass. Ichabod returns sans Katrina.
Ichabod: Can you take a picture of me with Katrina?
Triteacher: Sure, get Katrina and I'll take it.
This goes on... and then as recess is drawing to a close, I hear Ichabod asking Katrina to take a picture with him. "Will ya? Will ya?"
"Um, not right now, Ichabod. I'm having my picture taken with someone else." She was indeed posing with a group of her girlfriends.
In the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, my sympathies have always lain with Ichabod. In real life, I felt for Katrina. Being sought after because of your looks would suck. Katrina could never be anonymous or blend in. An activity like this has all the hangers-on wanting to be reflected in her glow.
And she is automatically assumed to speak out of and as representative for the pretty people of the world. Ichabod today concluded that Katrina was "stuck up." Aren't most good-looking people assumed to be stuck up? Jocks? Preps? Is she, or did she just want the anonymity that looking nondescript can provide? I have always taken this comfort for granted. Hmm...
More school... 5th grade love. They blow me away. They want so much to please. Sixth graders wanted to please for about the first 2 weeks of school. These kids want to please me even now in December. They aren't just a year younger - they're a whole different species. And, they're starting to think and speak more maturely now too - moving into the analytical, reflective thinking I enjoy. We laugh about the characters in the books we read and how they are reflective of our character traits. We had a thoughtul discussion of vanity this week and kids shared insights into their own vanity. Seeing them step outside of themselves to observe their own behaviors... wow.
Move over swimming; I might just be falling in love with my 5th graders.
7 comments:
Very cool. Connecting with kids that age is the BEST. I'm sure they all think the world of you. I was always like Ichabod...but too shy to ask Katrina. Props to him for trying I guess... Thanks for all you do as a teacher...it's really important!
I'll remind my daughter to stay away from Ichabod when she gets older. Stories of young love. Now I need to go for a long run again.
Yikes! I don't think I'd ever go back to 5th grade. Just full of awkwardness. Thankfully, I never stood out either. You're a saint for working with them every day, especially because you like it.
I could never really identify with the Katrinas either. I never would have thought they might sometimes enjoy the life of an Ichabod.
It's wonderful that you enjoy your job so much, especially given how important it is to all of the children you're grooming to run the world!
Very interesting observations. From my own experiences, the Katrinas took advantage of their good looks and popularity to exploit the Ichabods instead of truly befriend them.
Thanks for stopping by; otherwise, I might now have discovered your great blog. Love the way you combine your vocation and avocation.
I love hearing teachers talk about their students. It makes me appreciate even more the gift you have, to be able to deal with kids so incredibly well, and how much of a personal investment it is to be a teacher.
SO cute.
My freshman drive me nuts sometime, but only because they are ridiculously excitable, enthusiastic to the point of a headache, and they are still a little innocent.
All of those things are pretty much gone with my sophomores. :( It's quieter--that's fer sher...but I do like the innocence. 9th graders will do anything! 10th graders barely even want to move. :)
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