“Everybody! I need your help to tell this story. When I go like this can everyone yell SLOP!”
I flung both of my arms above my head, maybe as an exclamation, maybe as a conductor of my classroom of fourth grade vocalists. “Okay, ready?….
Up went my arms. A loud “SLOP” rang out through the classroom. Inside I am thinking “Thank God, that went well.” Then I looked down at girl sitting right in front of me. She was holding up a piece of paper that she had printed SLOP on. She wasn’t able to speak it, but she found a way to communicate with me. My heart melted.
Ya see, I don’t have any children and haven’t had the privilege of lots of exposure to nieces and nephews and classrooms of children throughout my life. Telling stories to children seemed so foreign yet so wonderful to me. You can prepare all you want but it won’t hit you until you are in front of that first classroom, telling your first story. “Do they care? Will they listen? Will they like me? How do I do this?”
In the back of the room a boy fiddled with all the things on his desk. Got up and went to the door and his teacher motioned him back. I kept the story going. Arms kept flying up and SLOP kept ringing out. I don’t recall seeing the boy’s hands fly up. But he had finally found a point of stillness. Is he able to listen?
The children heard four stories total from Lauren and myself. They seemed excited as we gathered to take a group picture. Then as we were leaving, the young girl who had been sitting in front of me, came up to me and showed me a piece of paper on which she had printed “Thank You”. Then the walking boy ran up to me, looked me In the eye and exclaimed, “SLOP” and wanted a Hi-Five from me.
I left that room and the next classroom I told in and then the ah-ha came. They do hear me. Just tell from my heart. Let them hear my heart in whatever I tell. Let them know I hear theirs. Just tell. Don’t worry. Just allow myself to communicate. And appreciate.
I understand now because I took the first step through the door of the first classroom and asked everyone to yell “SLOP!”
(The picture at the top of the post shows Lauren Besich telling to the class that Elizabeth told to later. Unfortunately, no picture of Elizabeth telling :(.
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