As soon as I saw the little scribble with a heart between two letters my gut told me it was trouble. N's upset face confirmed it. Too late to do anything. What was ha-ha-silly-funny in the mind of a nine-year old boy, was not funny in a nine-year-old girl's mind and was so-unfair-to accuse-me-of writing-it-upsetting in a mind of an eight-year-old girl. So upsetting that she walked off the classroom. No point of chasing after her now. When N is upset, she is upset. The good thing is she knows what she needs to calm down - some time and space. In our very small school building it is not a problem for a child to go out of the classroom and walk around if needed. It turned out to be more than a bit. I tried talking to N. She wasn't ready to respond. The author of the scribble tried to apologize. N. turned away. The one included in the statement tried to say everything was fine. N's mouth remained a tight line. The little girl had a storm inside her. We left her sitting on a couch and returned to the class. After a while N walked in, took a piece of paper and a purple marker, and walked off again. Before the end of the lesson she handed me a paper folded several times together.
It was the end of the day, N had missed the lesson, I was ready to see her anger in words - my internal sigh was deep and loud. Not showing my emotions, I opened her paper and read. Not what I expected. What I found was a poetic and very mature approach to handling emotions. I felt my throat tighten and tears bubbling. I hugged the girl and asked whether I could type up her words to share with the rest of the world. She nodded and smiled. "Writing helps me to get over the mad," she said before going home.
Here are her words:
When
you are feeling low,
always
let your mind flow.
Even
when you are mad,
don’t
let the mad take over.
Always
calm down
before
you might hurt people.
You
always have a happy spot
or
smile.
Let
your ideas flow with power
from
your body and brain.
Let
you continue being happy and learning.
When
you go home,
let
them see you smile with joy.
Sounds like you have a little writer on your hands! Writing is such a great way to deal with emotions that sometimes feel overpowering. This young lady already knows that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing her words with us.
When allowed time to reflect, it is true that kids, hopefully adults too, can become thoughtful and wise. Tell her that her words let us all know that we should remember and follow them. And thanks, wise teacher!
ReplyDeleteWow! So glad your school has the time and space for her to work things out AND produce this beautiful piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteWow from an 8 year old! That is very impressive not only the writing but the processing of her feelings and emotions. When you go home, let them see you smile with joy - those are words everyone can learn from!
ReplyDeleteKids, like us, need time to reflect and reconsider their ways. You gave this child that chance, Terje - that poem is the reward. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteKids, like us, need time to reflect and reconsider their ways. You gave this child that chance, Terje - that poem is the reward. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteWriting helps me get over the mad, too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem. I'm so glad you shared this and that you were able to give this child the time and space she needed to work through her upset. How wonderful that she already recognizes the power of writing in her life!
ReplyDeleteHow powerful!!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful, poetic writing. She writes with music and melody. I am envisioning the writer she will be by the end of the year if she has this innate talent already. Love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful, poetic writing. She writes with music and melody. I am envisioning the writer she will be by the end of the year if she has this innate talent already. Love it!
ReplyDelete