In the classroom, translated…
There is, a new student to my class, he looked like a quiet little black kitten, with huge eyes and long lashes.
The teacher who had him before told me, that the little boy was introverted and shy, and would turn in his homework assignments on time, it’s just hard to hear him say a word. All of these reminders had started me on thinking about how to get him to interact with the rest of the class, after a simple introduction to the class, the little boy sat down quietly, as the rest of the class welcomed him with applauses, as I’d invited him to answer the questions in class, just as his last teacher told, he’d just, sat, glaring at me, with those big and shiny eyes. As the rest of his classmates around him were super engaged in the class, answering my questions, he’d lowered his head, and started rubbing his mechanical pencil back and forth, showed that hint of anxiety he’s experiencing.
I’d summed up the words of the rest of his class, and asked him the question I’d asked the rest of the class again, but he’d still, lowered his head; and, as the rest of his peers all, looked upon him, urged him to reply, he’d slowly, lifted up his head, I’d encouraged him to say something, I saw his lips moving. The rest of the class that’s waited for awhile for his replies started ranting on how they can’t hear him, I’d smiled and soothed them, “We’ll just have him talk louder then!” and, for the rest of the class, he’d, sat, silently.
As school let out, the other kids who had been in my class for a while all said goodbye to me loudly, looking at everybody leaving, he’d slowly, packed up, and, sat perfectly still, at his seat, I’d gently reminded him, that he could, go home, he’d clenched his backpack tightly, with his stiffened body, got up slowly.
I took a step forward, he’d felt alarmed, and stopped, and, I’d, squatted down to his eye level, tilted my head toward him, “You’re going home now, what should you say to teacher?”, he’d clenched his backpack even tighter, hung his head down, even lower.
it’s always awkward to be new in class…not my photo.
All of a sudden, I’d felt, very sad, thought about, how I may have been, rushing too hard, for a kid who’s new to the class, to speak out in a class of strangers to him. There was just me and him left in the class, and, I watched, as he thought about how he was going to, escape from the situation now, I’d decided, to give us more time to slowly acquaint, I’d told him “goodbye”.
As I was turning around, I caught a glimpse of his lips moving, squeezing out a “Good-bye…”, although it was, barely audible, it’d made me feel that sweetness inside.
So here is a kid who’s way too shy, and the teacher didn’t force the child to catch up to the rest of his classmates, just allowed the child to take the time that he’d needed, and, eventually the child did open up, besides, it was, only his very first day, in a new class, so, it would take him more time to get to know everybody, but this teacher had helped made some progress with this little boy by allowing him to open up on his own time.