Conferences

One of my students reminds me of my son. They both seem to be old souls. They both have this deep quiet. They seem to be a little removed from the rest of us, but at the same time more aware of everyone. That probably doesn't make sense. Anyway. I don't even know this boy that well. He's not one to hover around me, telling me his life story like so many of my students. He's private, and quiet. I just feel like he's familiar to me, and it makes me a little protective of him. He got hurt at gym class the other day and it really upset me to see him in pain.
When I saw his mom at conferences, I told her how he reminds me of my son. She is an incredibly kind woman. She spoke very sincerely about being happy that I had a reminder of my son with me all day, when I couldn't actually be with my son. It was so unexpected, and thoughtful, that it brought tears to my eyes. It also brought tears to her eyes, and we laughed about how sappy we are. Even now, days later, when I think about our conversation, I'm still deeply touched. Can you imagine what our days would be like if everyone were that kind, all the time?