What You Say About Stabbing Pains in the Classroom

Great moment between a teacher and student today. The teacher making steady moves to get this particular elementary school class focused and moving along. Using encouragement, patient re-direction and otherwise heroically urging the students along in their work.

A few moments into a smooth transition to the rug for a shared reading. Some sudden squirmishness from one of the boys in front of the teacher, making a loud pronouncement.

Mr. _____________ ! It feels like something’s wrong with me! Like someone is taking a nail and nailing it in my leg!

Stilled pause from teacher, sitting in his reading chair with teacher’s guide open, with weary eyes looking at the boy above the glasses perched on the edge of his nose. Other students waiting and themselves beginning to nervously squirm.  The class on that precarious line between getting settled and getting unsettled.

A dramatic extended pause from the teacher. Steady gaze.  All of us ready for that game-changing piece of wisdom to make all things right… and here it came.

“Can you ignore it?”

I tell you, I couldn’t have said it any better myself.  You have to love it…

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