2022 Education magazine

2022 Education Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS February / March 2022 Page 39 Continued p First Grade loved to see, “a child sounding out a word for the first time, or watching a face crack a smile when they master writing a, b, or m or ‘monkey tail g’ and I say, ‘Wow! Are you sure a computer didn’t write that?’” It was always neat to see a child figure out something challenging, or seeing a child wrap an arm around another and say, “I’m sorry.” or, “I forgive you.” or, “I will be your friend.” She considers herself so lucky to have witnessed those scenes and the many other sweet and wonderful moments in a child’s life. Kathy goes on to say, “The moments that always make me smile, warm my heart, and are the most special are the times that we are going through something tough in our classroom - the death of a child’s grandparent, a tough diagnosis, someone hurt or scared, or so many other trying times, and without prompting from me I hear someone say “It’s all going to be okay because Jesus will always be with you,” or “Just think! Your Grandpa is in heaven with Jesus!” or “God loves us always and forever.” THOSE are the sweet memories and the ones I will always cherish in my heart. The faith of a child is a beautiful thing.” Jean spent most of her time in the Fifth and Sixth Grade rooms. She remembers a lot of times being proud of students and their small successes that were so meaningful, like being able to complete 100 multiplication problems in three minutes. It was also neat to see them improve in reading and learning to write completely in cursive! Another memorable event was a student’s battle with cancer. It was wonderful to see the other students be supportive and helpful. When the treatments were over they all celebrated with a balloon launch; it was an exciting day! I also asked them what was the most difficult thing they’ve faced in their teaching career and they both immediately said navigating through covid. Jean added it was hard not to see faces and smiles, and communication was often more difficult in the classroom. “Differing opinions regarding covid safety have made daily life a struggle at times!”