Fountain of Youth

Image @ wallpapersfacts.com.

Today my students and I read a book about ants. I know, fascinating stuff, right? Well, the exciting part is watching the world come vividly alive through the eyes of a child. Let me tell ya, seven-year-olds have a lot so say about our little arthropod pals. I was regaled with stories about squishing ants, eating them, and watching them do things like crawl up your arm or swarm mom's forgotten Pepsi can. The children were also eager to draw me pictures of ants doing their thing. It was delightful! One child drew a picture of his foot coming down on top of a wayward little critter, telling me how much he hated them because they crawl on EVERYTHING! When we read about soldier ants who guard the nest, he quipped, "I'm bigger than you, buddy. Squish, Squish!"

I love being a reading teacher, not only because reading is one of my passions, but also because the children help me look at the world through a lens my adult eyes had forgotten. Being an adult, it doesn't take long to lose that perspective, the world taking on a layer of seriousness that squishes our "innocence" as quickly as my student and his ant encounters. Losing that is a tragedy. With the children, I gain a little of it back. It makes me a better person, gives me a much more in-tune perspective about what really matters in life. And the bonus? The children make me feel young again, no matter how old I am by the numbers. That gift...priceless!