Paint and Pages

I love Rita F. Pierson. My very first principal loved Rita F. Pierson and was an excellent mentor for stressing the importance of building relationships with students. The students loved him. He knew all of their names. He came to their classroom and hand delivered a birthday gift to each student on their birthday or half-birthday if they had a summer birthday. He greeted students at the door each morning, in the halls throughout the day, and made every child feel seen and understood. If a student was having trouble following classroom expectations, he approached the scenario with empathy and validated the feelings of the child. I was foolishly optimistic in thinking that most administrators would be this way.

Recently, members of the UNI Literacy Initiative have been sharing Rita’s wisdom and I’ve reflected on what I’m doing to make sure that every child has the champion they deserve.

This past week I had the opportunity to meet one of my champions: Peter H. Reynolds. Before I could talk to him, our group of educators completed creative exercises together as a group. During these exercises, Peter approached my table of teachers and shared that our group had a fun energy and that we must work together. We told him we did not work together, but instead were members of the UNI Literacy Initiative. He told us we should open a charter school and that he’d love to send his child to our classrooms.

I told him how much his books mean to my students and I. I told him how much I needed his books as a child. I told him how I think of him each time I observe the colors of our open midwestern skies. He smiled and signed my book for my students and I. I later learned that my colleague, Torey Oleson, captured this exchange. I was delighted when she shared these photos and felt the joy of the exchange all over again.

Peter H. Reynolds made our group feel seen and appreciated. His comment about sending his child to our school made me wonder if he, like me, values relationships above all else. More than anything, I want my four children to have a teacher who sincerely loves them and values them as individuals. I also strive to be that teacher for my students.

The day I was in Cedar Falls, Iowa meeting Peter H. Reynolds was a rough day for one of my students. He didn’t want to participate in learning. He refused to move from the carpet area of the classroom. Teachers tried to talk him into participating, but he refused and had a tough day. Several teachers shared this when I returned on Tuesday.

Tuesday, this student met me outside of my classroom with a huge smile. He did everything he needed to and seemed happy and content. I didn’t mention the day before and just told him how happy I was to see him. A few teachers asked how the student was doing today and when I said, “Great!” they said, “It’s because you’re here!”

Sometimes just being there makes us a champion for a child. Sometimes it’s insisting a child be called by their name and not a nickname a teacher created. Sometimes it’s providing extended wait time. Sometimes it’s using gestures to help English Learners. Sometimes it’s noticing something a child does well. Sometimes it’s having an uncomfortable conversation on behalf of a student’s rights. Sometimes it’s giving a child space and support to create and play.

Always, it’s love. It’s loving our students for who they are and not who we want them to be. It’s appreciating all that they are and teaching them to love themselves. It’s empowering students to be brave and create. It’s showing students again and again that you will create a safe space and classroom community where they can be themselves and flourish. And I know that I can love all my students each and every day. Even on their worst days. Even on my worst days. And if I can always love them, then I can always take the first step in becoming the champion they deserve.