Let Them Be Little

One of our wonderful Kindergarten teachers, Lauren, has a sign in her classroom that says, "Let Them Be Little." It's a cute little sign, centered on a bulletin board right when you walk into her room, and it always sticks out to me. Let them be little. 

When I tell people that I teach fifth grade, they often reply with, "Oh, I couldn't teach the big kids," or "They're so big, they scare me." I usually smile and laugh, and say, "Oh, fifth graders are my favorite."

For the most part, they are the big kids. They're starting to get a grasp on sarcasm and comedic timing, and they're definitely starting to do what they want more often than they do what will please me. They're starting to wonder about big ideas like injustice, revolution, loyalty, and acceptance. They're tall (especially from my viewpoint) and rowdy and yes, sometimes they talk about deodorant and girlfriends and YouTube.

There are quick, fleeting moments, here and there, however, when they're just still so little. Those are some of my favorite moments.

Yesterday I took the kids to the Book Fair so they could make their wish lists. Nothing brings out the little in them quite like the Book Fair. Watching their eyes light up at the newest picture book or huddle around "How to Get a Girlfriend," giggling after every page, I couldn't help but grin. Surrounded by new books with bright pictures and shiny pages, they were so excited to read. Let them be little. 

Later in the day yesterday, one of my students crept up to my desk during indoor recess and said, "Hey, wanna play Scrabble with me?" His casual invite totally caught me off guard and made me feel like a million bucks. He had 53 other kids in the room that he could play with, and he wanted to play with this 29 year old nerd. (Of course I said yes!) We played Scrabble, and we both laughed as he tried to invent new words and cheered when he got a high score. He winced when I got a Double Word Score and sighed when the bell rang signally that recess was over. Even among a room full of kids playing "Bluff" and Uno and undoubtedly whispering secret after secret, he wanted to play a board game, with his teacher. Let them be little.

This morning, my kids pulled out their snacks and sat on the floor around me anxious for me to start our read aloud. I started reading, and instantly they were all focused. In fact, at 10:10 am, it may have been the first time all day when they were genuinely all really listening. Just as our snack time was ending, I got to an exciting part in the book. Trying to stick to our new schedule, though, I said what I always say when it's time to stop writing, "We better stop there." Before I could even look up, they were all begging. "Please don't stop!" "Just a few more paragraphs." "You can't leave us hanging." This is why I love read aloud so much. For just a few minutes, they forget that they're supposed to be "too cool for school" and that "reading is boring," and they really just love the story. They're excitement is adorable. Let them be little.

This is the time of the year when we start to think about all of those "fifth grade things." Talent Show auditions, Sky Ranch, and graduation are on the minds of all of our soon-to-be sixth graders. It's also the time of year when I start to think about saying goodbye to these kids that I've had for two years. I hope that in the next few months I get to see more moments like these. I hope that I can find ways to continue to let them be little.