i'll be watching you

Do you remember that song "I'll be watching you" by Sting? You know, the one that attempts to romantically (but instead creepily) talk about a man never giving up on a woman by continuing to "watch" her in everything she does? Yeah, I recently found out that that song was actually written by my students about me.

Sometimes I forget just how much responsibility goes into teaching. Besides being responsible for the knowledge and information our students are fed, we also have to make sure we are setting a positive example in their lives. Now, I'm not going to pull a Charles Barkley and say that I didn't sign up to be a role model, but I am learning just how much children watch you. They see everything I do, from picking my wedgies to doing a potty dance to spelling words incorrectly on the board. Though they are quick to pick out my mistakes, they also occasionally share the things they watch me do that they enjoy.

Last week a student came up to me holding an apple and said with the utmost excitement, "LOOK!"

Confused and trying to be sensitive to his untimely enthusiasm, I responded with, "Cool!(?)"

He must have heard that slight question mark at the end of my sentence because he provided me with the sweetest explanation, "I told my mom I want to eat like you! You always have apples and zanahorias and health foods so I say 'mom, can I have a apple in my lunch?' and you know what, she give me one!"

I feel its necessary to share with you that this kid usually eats lunches that make me want to throw up. Crappy Guatemalan potato chips, cookies dipped in chocolate, florescent pink yogurt, and strawberry milk. I really wonder how the conversation sounded when this young kid asked his own parents to stop giving him junk but instead an apple. I'm pretty excited that we are transitioning into health in science for this quarter because I'm hoping maybe more of these kids will realize its cool to eat healthy and not die at a young age :)

Another student gave me the opportunity to explain what a "habit" is as she approached me and asked why I am constantly taking off and putting on the lid of my pen. She asked why I didn't even use the pen I just with one hand took the lid off and immediately snapped it back on and then repeated this process about ten times. I found myself just as curious as she because I'm not really sure where this awkward movement stems from. After I explained what a habit is, she started nodding her head and saying the famous, "aaaaaaaaaah" sound all my students make when they start to understand things and then she added, "Its like that thing you do with your eyes! When you close them really hard and then open them again." Hmm, this kid is on to me. I've always been told I blink really hard but I honestly don't even feel it and had no idea that my little kids could tell.

I guess I'll have to make sure I don't have my finger up my nose or pop candy in my mouth while the kids are even on campus; I'll never know where they are hiding!