I teach Health to eight year olds. Once a week, for thirty minutes- we talk about how to brush your teeth or what to do if your kid brother lights you on fire with firecrackers and the many different types of flammable liquid one can find around the home (and why it’s bad news bears to drink them).
One of the things we work on in Health is self- esteem. They are growing up in a Bratz Dolls universe and any doll that can make Barbie look like a slob has got to be dangerous. So last Health block, I walked in and asked the kids “What is something you have done that made you feel proud?”. Their answers involved puzzled looks and crickets. After a minute of silence, one of the boys, raised his hand and asked me, “what’ve you done that makes you proud?”. I ran through the list of G rated examples a teacher always has on hand. (I left out the one time in my life I tied a cherry stem with my tongue). I talked about how I was proud when I went traveling along the West Coast ( where I spent most of my money on clothes, coffee and wine in a carton), when I became a teacher (after four years of school where I spent all my money on clothes, coffee and beer in a keg), when I learned how to say **”supercalifragilisticexpealidious” backwards (I have no naughty version, it was just a cool thing to learn how to do).
I was thinking while driving home tonight, one of my proudest accomplishments isn’t related to somewhere I went. It has nothing to do with my career or finally crossing something off a “Life List”. It’s not about learning something new, and it’s not even about the cherry stem tying happening in my mouth. One of my greatest accomplishments was taking care of my ill father. I’m not sure why I love it as much as I do, but I do. And I’m not sure why I feel awkward admitting that, as though I just announced to the internet “Oh look at how awesome I am. Whoo hoo me!*hair toss/swagger/smug guns & wink”, no, it’s definitely not that I guess I just feel like if I’m encouraging kids to be their own biggest fan, to cheer the loudest for their own success, their own moments where they feel like they get it just right, I should do the same. So there it is. Im a daddy's girl thru and thru. My moment!
