Hope Faith Charity: Little Teacher

I just got off the phone with one of the little girls who inspired me to become a teacher. These four little girls use to live across the street from me. I used to watch/play with them all the time when I was a teenager and they were really little. They moved about five years ago (if not longer) and I miss having them close by. We still talk on the phone a lot and I try to see them around birthdays and holidays. The 3rd child and I are very close. When her younger sister was born, I was a "mother's helper" for their family. I mostly took care of this little girl who was only a toddler, while her mom took care of the new baby. I like to think that summer formed a special bond between the two of us.

She is eight now and just started the third grade. I asked her about school. She told me she really likes her teacher, but she is struggling with spelling and math this year. She never really had trouble in school before, but I am sure she will do well, especially since her teacher is taking her under her wing. She gave me all kinds of suggestions on what to do with my second graders, since she is an expert on second grade, as a brand-new third grader. She gave me some great ideas! She told me about the classroom management plans her teachers have used, lesson plans that she has loved. She even told me about her idea for a Halloween bulletin board by making a huge spider web! I actually took notes. I felt like I was talking with a collegue, not a little girl! She is going to be a great resource for me to get a perspective from someone close in age to my students.

Near the end of our conversation I told her that I loved her. Than I asked her, "Do you want to be a teacher when you grow up? I think you'd be great at it." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Well, I have two choices about what I what I want to be. I really want to be a teacher or..... a fashion designer!"