It was her giggling that drew my attention. Note-taking really wasn't
all that funny.
Walking over to the offender, I asked for the 1. Frozen, she refused to give it to me. I waited, all attention in the classroom on the quiet 2 between teacher and student. When she finally3it over she whispered, "Okay, but I didn't draw it".
It was a hand-drawn 4 of me, teeth blackened and the words "I'm stupid" coming out of my mouth. I managed to fold it up calmly. My mind, 5 , was working angrily as I struggled not to 6. I figured I knew the two most likely candidates for drawing the picture. It would do them some7to teach them a lesson, and maybe it was high time that I did it!
Thankfully, I was able to keep myself 8.
When there were about six minutes remaining, I showed the class the picture. They were all9as I told them how hurtful this was for me. I told them there must be a reason10and now it was their chance to write down anything they needed to tell me. Then I let them write silently while I sniffed in the back of the classroom.
As I11 the notes later, many of them said something like, "I've got nothing against you, " or "I'm sorry you were 12. " Some kids said, "We're afraid of you. " But two notes, from the girls who I13 were behind the picture, had a list of issues. I was too 14, too strict…
Reading those notes, I realized that over the course of this year, instead of15my students, I had begun commanding them to 16. Where I thought I was driving them to success I was 17driving them away.
I had some apologies to make. But the next day in the classroom, one boy and one girl each handed me a card. The one 18by all the boys expressed sincere regret for the ugly joke. The one from the girls asked for 19.
This was a lesson for both the kids and me. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the 20.
