Big Magic In A Simple Moment
A moment of sweetness sprinkled into the beautiful chaos of being an elementary school teacher
I’ve heard teaching described as tap dancing. As an elementary school teacher, I can confirm that the tap dancing analogy checks out. Sometimes it even feels like trying to tap dance with two left sneakers that are tied together.
“When you’re finished, please put your work in the turn it in bin and you can take out your independent reading book.”
“What should I do when I’m done with this?”
“You can put it in the bin.”
“Should I put my name on it?”
“…”
Pressing Start on the copy machine and racing to the restroom like we’re contestants on Supermarket Sweep. Forgetting to grab said copies until we’re back upstairs and prep is over. Changing into snow boots while eating two more fork fulls of salad to get to recess duty in one minute. The sound of the pencil sharpener during directions. 3 different bags, 3 different drinking cups. “Please meet me in the hallway.” Planning to finally catch up on correcting after school, but then having to make multiple parent phone calls that take over an hour because learning through mistakes is messy.
But then.
In the hallway typically filled with rushed adults and I’m-not-running-I’m-speed-walking children; there are these seemingly small moments that are filled with magic. I was in the hallway by the office and I spotted two kindergarteners whose eyes forward, stoic faces told me that they were on a mission. They were walking shoulder to shoulder with their outside hands by their sides and their inside hands had a very important job. They were tasked with the job of returning a walkie talkie to the office. Now, this isn’t your typical errand of bringing a bus note. Oh no, you could tell that they were instructed to hold this very carefully. One child had her hand securely wrapped around the antenna, while her counterpart held tightly onto the end of it. They approached the office door and each placed their free hands on the handle. Together, they pulled the handle down, but were struggling to get the door open. “Pull down, push forward,” I prompted. In they went, mission accomplished.
This was a tiny fraction of the things I saw and did today, but it was the one that brought me the most joy. A moment that interrupted the tap dancing and served as a reminder that magic lives in the simple moments.
We just have to pay attention.
MaryKathryn Conceison is a fifth grade teacher who loves the right words at the right moment, picking out a Just Right card, the first sip of anything refreshing, being called Auntie MK, and late afternoons on the beach with cheese and crackers.
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