you learn something new everyday

so i was supposed to start this 4 days ago on my birthday. i wanted to be committed to something and actually see the start and finish of something good. i’ve been meaning to keep a journal so ive been thinking of a good theme to go with for this whole year. then it hit me. you always learn something new everyday so why not keep a journal recording what i learned. (but i also wanted to keep a journal because i tend to forget a lot…substance and time doesnt matter…i dont remember a lot of stuff…and at times..if its painful enough i’ll erase it or numb it from my memory—which means that i will be more likely to repeat that same

mistake/go through the same experience again)

so, whether it is a mistake or some interesting new fact- i thought- why not share it. as they say, sharing is caring~

today: people care in different ways.

it’s simple enough, but this was an extremely difficult idea for me to grasp. i’m currently an intern in a kindergarten classroom. this one kid has been stressed like none other and acts out. he doesnt listen to instructions, he doesnt want to participate, he secludes himself…you can tell that it’s more than “just a bad day”. it eventually got to the point where the teacher took away his recess (which is like the end of the world to these kids) and had him stay in the classroom with me. she wanted to get across to him that if he will not have any privileges if he doesnt cooperate. i tried to show the kid that i care and that he can trust me…so i let him know that if he wanted to talk im there. the recess bell for it to end rang. that did it. he wobbled over to the classroom corner and started crying. i took him to the office. i asked him if he wanted to talk and he was shut tight…all that i got from him was a runny nose and tears. he wanted to be invisible so i covered him with my coat and let him sit there. i asked him one more time if he wanted to talk to me and he nodded ‘no’. how can i get through to this kid? lightbulb! from all those psych and human development classes that i have taken… i asked him if he wanted to DRAW me a picture instead. he was silent for a moment and he nodded ‘yes’! he drew out a whole story and covered the whole page. i asked him if i could see it and knelt down beside him. i made sure to ask him who was who and what was what. <i wish i could share but it’s private stuff> it was intense. the things that this kid is going through and the way he portrayed it in the drawing.

the teacher knew that he was stressed and believed that he needed a break. i knew he was going through something so i wanted to talk. the teacher that shared the classroom with my internship teacher knew too, and she just confronted him and acknowledged his feelings for him. his grandma- who comes to pick him up- let him play with his brother on the playground before taking them home.

it’s clear that we all care for this kid very much. it really shows how an individual’s personal experience can alter our judgments and actions in numerous ways.