Someone to Love Them

After missing the last 7 school days due to a terrible ice storm that left back roads frozen and inaccessible, we are finally going back to school tomorrow. I never thought I would say this, but I'm ready to go back! The unexpected time at home has allowed me to spend time with my daughter, clean the house, write, go shopping, and do several other activities that I normally don't have time for. On the other hand, it has once again taught me that I am not cut out to be a stay at home mother, and given me an increasing respect for those who are. Yesterday two of my daughter's friends came to hang out for a while, and by the time they left a few hours later, the house that I had just cleaned suddenly looked like a tornado had passed through. Although I had time to put everything back in order, I lacked the energy, and the desire. Not wanting to be cooped up in the house any longer, I urgently told my daughter, "Put your coat on! We're going to Wal-Mart!" It wasn't just the fact that I was irritated by the mess that I wanted to get away; it was that I missed my routine, my busy lifestyle, and yes, I even missed my students. The same students who drove me to a higher level of annoyance than the two girls who wrecked my living room, day after day after day. The same students who talked when they were supposed to be silent and were silent when they were supposed to talk. The same students who could instantly ruin a well-crafted lesson with the smell of a fart or the sight of an insect. So, why did I miss those hooligans? Why did I miss the same silly behaviors that made me more anxious for the next break than for my weekly dessert? For the same reason that I miss my daughter anytime I am away from her. Because deep down, there's a part of me that loves each of my students as one of my own--even the ones who constantly interrupt, laugh, bully, curse, cheat, or anything else to irritate me. Parents understand that we don't get to choose the qualities our children are born with, but we love them all the same. It doesn't matter if they're a straight A student, a standout athlete, a talented musician or a nobody; the only thing that matters is that they're ours, and we've been honored with the great responsibility of teaching and raising them. Normally those students who annoy me most don't possess any hidden talents, either; they're simply crying out for attention in the only way they know how. All they really want is someone to listen to their quirky questions, laugh at their obnoxious jokes, correct their pesky behaviors; all they really need is someone to love them. Sometimes it just takes me being away from them for a few days to remember how much.