Yes it finally happened.
Working with special needs children this was bound to happen at some point, I just didn't expect it to happen with one of my favorites.
I love my students, sometimes I think I love them like they are my own children. I share stories about them with my friends and family, I gush over them, I love them! I admit I have some favorites. I can't help it. I often wonder if all teachers feel this way or if I'm abnormal in my love for them.
I've been working the last 3 weeks this summer at the schools camp program. I have different students then the ones I have during the school year which has been a nice change of pace but I miss my little kiddos. One imparticular. I love the crazy kids. The more nuts they are the more I love them. My most favorite kid is awesome. She's energetic, funny, active, and a dare devil. She will climb anything, you can't turn your back for a second!
Today when I heard that she got hurt my heart sank. I wanted to run to make sure she was OK. I instantly felt like no one could care for her as much as I could. I was worried, worried that she was not understanding what was happening or the the people around her weren't communicating in a way that she could understand. I'm sure that was not the case but I couldn't help myself. I managed to find a way to go see her. She was pathetic looking. Her normally energetic self was laying snuggled into the nurse, half asleep, with tears still down her face and dried blood around her mouth. She has fallen during one of her climbing adventures and her tooth went through her lip. Stitches were in her future! :(
The staff were discussing who would go with her to the hospital. Normally the teacher would go with them but her camp teacher was dealing with a personal family issue and our boss was pregnant so she did not want to go into a hospital (exposure to unnecessary germs) unless she had to. I gladly volunteered.
The interesting part is that I actually like hospitals. I know this is weird but I do. I was exposed to hospitals often as a child so I never developed that fear that they are a bad place. To me they are a place of healing where people walk in sick and leave healthy or are escorted into death with grace and dignity. Those are two beautiful things. Medical things also fascinate me. I'm not queasy around blood and I really love watching medical shows. It didn't bother me in the least to be going to a hospital.
Her mother was meeting us there so I didn't stay with her once we arrived but it made me feel good to be able to do this. I love my little "stinkers" and I would do anything for them. I'm just glad that by the time I left her that she was acting more like her normal self again. I'm sure this won't be the last of emergencies with students and I'm glad she was OK.
It's days like this that I'm reminded why I do what I do. When you take away all the drama and politics of teaching and strip it down to just my students, I love it.
They are the reason I do what I do!
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