Nancy is comically short.
Grade 1 students are small but Nancy’s proportions place her in a different visual class than her contemporaries. I nicknamed her “The Ewok” out of affection. If she was hairier she could easily be one of George Lucas’ Return of the Jedi characters.
I was standing on the stairs between classes. The classrooms are on the 4th floor and Grade 1 students need a little assistance getting to their lessons in a non-tardy manner. A cavalcade of things can distract a seven-year-old: A rowdy classmate, a puddle, or a nearly invisible piece of lint can cause the young ones to stray from a path a straight forward as a flight of stairs.
Nancy stopped beside me. I ceased my shepherding.
“What’s this?” Nancy asked.
I knelt down. I had no idea what item she was asking about. I touched my shirt.
“This is a shirt,” I said, slowly.
“No. What’s this?”
She wasn’t pointing at anything. I had no clue.
“This is a railing,” I responded.
“No, Teacher.” She was frustrated and smiley at the same time. “This is Nancy. What’s this?”
Nancy must have been distracted during the two week lesson on What’s your name?
“This is Steve,” I told her. Teaching a mini-lesson on the stairs wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t have time to correct her. She managed to get her question answered. I understood. A step forward.
Her question wasn’t much different than me speaking in Chinese. I often use the question, in wrong circumstances, Zhe dongxi shi shenme? or This thing is what? While not always correct, like Nancy asking What’s This?, it gets the job done.
My little Ewok made me smile and reflect. We are both students stumbling with language.
“What’s this?” Now that would have been a loaded question for me to answer for sure! This is an amazing example of communication broken down to its barest basics.
I wonder if tiny little kids ever get tired of being viewed as cute and adorable.
But she sure is. But so are the rest of them.
AJ: Yes, basic communication. Sometimes the young boys poke me in the crotch and ask, “What’s this?” I much prefer Nancy’s questions.
am: I think being cute is in their job description. As well as frustrating, irksome, and huggable.
Kids are cute for a reason. If they weren’t, we’d be forced to kill them.
Or is that just me?
No, marianne, it’s not just you.
I think it’s very important for us to remember that while we are teaching others, they are also teaching us!
Corinas last blog post..The Gas Stove~Mother’s Day Memoir
Very true, Corina. We are always learning.
She’s adorable!
Teaching a mini lesson is always a good idea. Those are the ones that take.
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