I won't go into the details but if any child has a reason to be angry and bitter at the world, Muskwa would have more than enough reason to be so. And yet, he maintains such a powerfully pleasant demeanour. He is a gentle giant with a heart of gold.
As my my time with Muskwa was coming to an end, we were sitting in the classroom when he turned to my colleague Sonia, and said, "You know, if Joe was my dad, he would be a good dad."
I was speechless and had to fight back a tear.
It was a moment that I will never forget.
Moments like these are not quantifiable and yet I would argue they are precisely what matters most. This is why I have a sign in my classroom that says:
As my my time with Muskwa was coming to an end, we were sitting in the classroom when he turned to my colleague Sonia, and said, "You know, if Joe was my dad, he would be a good dad."
I was speechless and had to fight back a tear.
It was a moment that I will never forget.
Moments like these are not quantifiable and yet I would argue they are precisely what matters most. This is why I have a sign in my classroom that says:
There is a big difference between valuing what we measure and measuring what we value.
We hear of the father's role as a teacher , not often the teacher's role as father. This reminds me of a young man who asked a wise man some advice on teaching. He was told - if you can love those kids as your own , then you are fit to be a teacher
ReplyDeleteJoe, you are the answer to the adage: "Children need to know much we care before they care about how much we know."
ReplyDeleteYou have likely influenced many others and Muskwa found the words to speak for all of them.
Take care,
Ivon