our dear ms. carol will be getting on a plane and heading towards home tomorrow morning.  home is “across the oceans” in brazil.  we are better because of her year with us.

i am reminded of the humor and joy she brought to the classroom.  we laughed a lot, stole moments to talk about latest lost episodes, dreamt of the future, crossed cultures, strategized classroom management techniques, and did a lot of cleaning up.

what carol taught me was the importance of taking time for a hurting child.  i say “hurting” and what i mean is that we saw the pain manifested in inappropriate, aggressive behavior.  while i might rush to make a new plan, engage a small group of kids in conversation about what just happened, carol would simply hold the child.  maybe go sit on the steps, cradle them like they had been held years ago, and rock them til they wanted to get down.  i get teary just remembering her tender commitment to help a child move beyond the moment.  you reminded me of that, carol, and i am grateful.

i will miss you, carol.  mr rob and i will hold down the fort and find ways to keep your spirit with us.