Friday, September 24, 2010

Today I had a student ask me a very cute question. The conversation went like this:

girl: Mrs Barnes?
me: yes?
girl: do teacher's live in houses?
me: yes they do, why, where do YOU think they live?
girl: I didn't know where...

On the first day of school I specifically read a book titled "my teacher lives at school". It is a cute story about how some students thought their teacher lived at school and how the teacher surprised them with a field trip to her home to show she has a family and a home, too.
There are days I feel like I live in my classroom...and it doesn't surprise me to have the children question it as well. I am there when they get to school and they generally do not see me leave. But in the time I spend in my classroom I am creating not only a space that the students are excited to come to each day, but also a space that I am excited to come into every day as well.
A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Adams
It is part of the concept of "creating a place to belong to". A place to give and receive love and acceptance, a place to create, a place to even make mistakes and know that we are still loved. The details are important...no matter how small. I may not live at school, but I do want to make it a space that is warm and inviting that any child may feel welcome.

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