"Thank You For Telling Me That"

"Teacher Tom, you always wear the same shirt."

It wasn't entirely true, but I understood why a kid might say that. "I wear different shirts."

"No, you always wear your purple shirt."

Again, not entirely true, but I did usually wear something from my extensive Woodland Park logo t-shirt collection, and among them were three purple ones. "I do wear a lot of purple shirts."

"And you always wear the same jeans."

This was mostly true. I have several  pairs of threadbare jeans I think of as my "work pants." 

"And you always wear the same shoes."

By now, I was starting to feel a little defensive. There are several pairs of shoes I wear to school, but I had to admit that I'd gone with the same old (mostly) waterproof boots during the long, wet winter. "I don't always wear the same shoes. I just mostly wear the same shoes."

"You don't even change your hairstyle."

"It gets longer and shorter, but yes, you're right about that."

Up to this point he had taken the posture of an earnest prosecutor, laying out the bare facts as if from notes. I appreciated his honestly and was flattered that he had apparently given my appearance a good deal of thought, even as I wasn't exactly thrilled with the portrait he was painting of me. But now he smiled as he came to the conclusion toward which he had been working, "You never change."

In a flash I recognized that while I do change, while I do continue to grow, in this boy's eyes I am a man upon whom one can rely day after day, a man that he saw as solid, predictable, stable, and safe, like my father had been for me. That isn't the kind of man I have always been. I liked what I saw in this unexpected reflection of myself. I said, "Thank you for telling me that."

"You're welcome."

******

December can be a lot for early childhood educators . . . Before winter break, I want to offer you a small gift. This Saturday, December 20 at 9:30 a.m. PST, I’m hosting a free live webinar called The Joy Reset: Finding Your Spark Again Through Play. It will be an uplifting hour of stories, reflection, and gratitude — no to-do list required! If you work with young children and could use a moment to breathe, this is for you. Register here.

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