March 2020 SOLC–Day 4
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
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Yesterday afternoon, at the end of a long, crummy day, I walked into the school foyer from the bus loop.
“Hey, Mrs. Hogan!”
I turned around. K., a sixth grader, came up behind me, and leaned in for her usual hug. T., walking beside her, added a hug of her own.
I smiled and felt my shoulders relax.
“Hey, K and T. How’s it goin’?” I asked.
“Good,” they chorused.
“No offense, Mrs. Hogan,” K said, “but I don’t want to be in your class again. You know why?”
“Um, no,” I said, laughing.
She launched into speech, eager to explain. (Clearly she’d spent some time thinking about this!)
“In second grade I was in your class–” She paused dramatically. “–and I broke my arm.” She stopped again to let that sink in. “Then, in fourth grade I was in your class again!” She put her hands on her hips. “And I broke my arm again!” She threw her arms up and looked at me semi-accusingly, secure in her logic. “So, do you see what I mean? Do you see why I don’t want to be in your class again?”
Before I could respond, and defend myself–especially considering that neither of those broken arms were incurred in my classroom or even at school–T., whoseriouslydoesn’tbreathawordwhenshetalks andoncetoldmethathermomtoldherthatherfirstwordwasasentenceandshewasn’tkiddingMrs.Hogan, chimed in, “So, what about when someone–” She widened her eyes and stared pointedly at K. “– got so excited the night before her birthday that she closed her eyes and spun around ’til she got dizzy crashed into the wall and got a black eye was that her fault, too?”
K. looked slightly abashed. “Welllllll….”
The three of us laughed and walked into the main building together.
We said our goodbyes, and they turned one way and I turned another. The smile lingered on my face as I headed down the hallway to my classroom to straighten out the mess of the day. It didn’t seem quite as daunting now.
Nix the comfort zone 
Heeheehee – I love the way you write T’s dialogue – and I’m intrigued to hear that your class is associated with broken arms (hahaha). Glad you ended the day with two former students and a smile. Sounds like you needed it!
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I neglected to mention that neither of those arms was broken in my classroom–which shows even more how inventive her logic is!
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Kids’ thinking and associations are so hilarious sometimes! I love how you got across her breathless talking. I’ve got some students who write without breathing -one long sentence.
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Sorry to hear you had a crummy day, but so glad you had some young friends to cheer you up. Sounds like being in your presence is dangerous, Molly. Who knew? LOL!
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I love reading slices of dialogue-I try to imagine the voices, the tones, the inflections. I can visualize a scene when I can play that movie in my head. You’ve obviously created some wonderful relationships with students over the years. I’m glad your day ended up with that interaction.
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Ah, the joys of being of classroom teacher for years in the same small school. The connections! And who knows the reasoning behind what kids say. Congrats for being that teacher that kids care about.
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