January 6th

Seventh graders are interesting creatures. I should know...I spend all day with them. Thirty-six of them! Quite often I wonder who the real teacher in the room is. After school today, Taylor came up to me and said, "Look, Miss McMillan, it's a four-leaf clover!!" My ridiculously negative response: "It's torn." And this incredibly wise young lady responded with, "I don't care. Take a picture!"

So today's positive moment stems from today's most negative moment. How many conversations have I had with seventh graders about the importance of being accepting of all people no matter what was on the outside. True beauty lies within. Don't judge a book by its cover.

It's torn.

It's not perfect.

It's not photo-worthy.

How ridiculous! Of course it was perfect...to Taylor. And it most definitely became photo-worthy...to Taylor...and to me! I mean, look at that photograph! Isn't it a cool shot!! It made Taylor happy and it makes me happy to look at it.

So, what did the teacher learn today? I learned that my pessimistic, glass is half-empty, view of the world is deeply ingrained in me. I learned that learning to be optimistic, to think positively, might be a longer and harder journey than I had originally thought. I learned that we can find teachers wherever we go in life, including our own classrooms.

I learned I have so very much to learn.