Sparkles

Teaching is hard work. And it becomes even more so during the final quarter of the school year. Nerves get frayed, personalities clash and children get weary. Summer break is oh so close and yet, oh so far. Countdowns to the end of the year are whispered for fear of another snowstorm. Teachers dip heavily into their reserves of anti-crabby pills, a.k.a. chocolate, and many hushed conversations take place by the copy machines in the form of group therapy sessions.

Fortunately, the clouds do part at times with moments of sparkling delight. Here are a few I experienced during the last couple of weeks.

Sparkle moment number one: We were gathering together for our daily study hall session and a young man asked, "What do you think I should get my mom for her birthday today? I have $50.00 and I want to spend it on her instead of a video game. She's kinda going through a hard time right now." The rest of my class was eager to help with suggestions. "How about flowers? Moms love flowers." "Maybe chocolates. Moms love candy." "What does she like to do? You could get her something that's fun for her."  The young man pondered for a few moments and replied, "I'll go for flowers first, but if Target doesn't have any, I'll look for chocolates and maybe some candles." Problem solved.

Sparkle moment number two: A student in my study hall group was struggling with his poetry assignment. He is all boy and likes to tussle and jostle with anyone game enough to join him. This, of course, is not always an asset in a structured classroom setting. As he blankly stared at his poetry page, I encouraged him to select a topic that was related to something he liked, such as football or basketball. He stalled for a few minutes and then said, "I want to write about my mom. She takes care of my brothers and sisters and me. " He then proceeded to write a poem of such genuine sincerity that my heart was warmed for the rest of the class period. Middle school boys and girls still love their moms, even when their teenage bodies tug at them to pull away and become independent.

Sparkle moment number three: A young lady, who, at best, has been minimally engaged with my lessons throughout the year, gave me her usual look of disinterest. I expected that my assignment would probably agitate her as the task was somewhat challenging and "mathy." To my surprise, she dug right into the assignment with gusto. That moment alone would have been enough to sustain me for the day, but she went one step further by offering to help others when she was finished. I was stunned and inspired by this march toward maturity. Time to remember that middle school kids do grow up and the picture I see today is not the final portrait.

Sparkle moment number four, with a repeating digit: Whenever possible, I gather for a few moments in the morning with my science department colleagues. We chug coffee, eat oatmeal, munch cereal and share whatever is on our minds. Topics range from current world events to our next fire drill and we are not afraid to laugh until we snort milk. I also meet daily with my team colleagues. As we bob along in an ocean of curriculum and challenging student issues, I am buoyed by the lifeline they provide. We keep each other grounded as we brainstorm solutions and pass around the chocolate.

Hope you can find a few sparkles in your life during the upcoming weeks. Treasure each one.

Luxury

Sipping freshly brewed coffee from large two-fisted mugs on a veranda overlooking breathtaking mountain views. Walking along a sandy beach with waves of salty eddies chasing the shoreline. Eating truffles made of spectacular chocolate on a food tour through culinary destinations. All luxurious moments, indeed.

My idea of luxury is a little less lavish. It is driving up to the full service car wash and handing the keys over to a wiry little worker bee who magically transforms my vehicle from dingy to sparkly. My goodness, what a delight. My Calvinistic roots twinge every time I partake of such slothfulness. Car washes weren't invented until after my youth (I'm not kidding on this one) and even if they had been available, my parents would have scoffed at such extravagance. Washing one's own car was fiscally appropriate, no doubt about it.

Washing the car by hand as a kid was quite the chore. Several steps were involved.

Step one: Wait for mom to give the orders that it was time to wash the car and then scurry to find a bucket and a couple of rags.

Step two: Secure a hose. We didn't call them garden hoses because a farm hose is used for much more than just gardens. Cooling off over heated pigs and filling stock tanks are just a couple of possibilities.

Step three: Secure said hose to an available hydrant. Pull up on the hydrant handle and watch your hose fly through the air like a snake in a death throe.

Step four: Grab the hose and spray toward the car or your siblings if you were mad at them.

Step five: Fill a bucket and start swiping off the car crud. The precision of your efforts was dependent on your energy level and the amount of adult supervision. We were usually on our own so our scrubbing went pretty quickly.

Step six: Rinse off the car and look for any obviously missed spots. Re-wipe, if necessary. Re-spray your siblings, if necessary.

Step seven: Skip the waxing and buffing. Our cars were all about getting from point A to point B. No showroom fanciness for us. What would the neighbors think?

Step eight: Return the hose to wherever dad said it should be stored. Return the buckets and rags.

Step nine: Wait for precipitation. Gravel roads, newly washed cars and showers just seemed to go together.

As I drove up to the car wash early one Saturday morning, hoping to be first in line (I wasn't), I felt a sense of indulgence as the swirling brushes swallowed my dirt encrusted vehicle. Without a hose, a hydrant or a hassle, my vehicle emerged with that new car glow. This is especially important when you live in the Midwest as you can be sure a sloppy spring snow will fall the next day (it did), once again painting vehicles with a lacquer of gray dullness.

More luxury for me.