Love.

Today was my short day, as all Tuesdays are, and so most of my day was spent at home either being productive or procrastinating about being productive. (Or at Starbucks realizing I'd forgotten most of the essential things I needed to be productive.) But that's not to say that I didn't have time first to be reminded of how much I love my job!

We taught professions to the 6th graders today, including an activity strongly resembling the one we used last semester to teach professions to the 5th graders, but with stricter injunctions against "careers" like killer, thief, and, a popular one today, terrorist. (Oh dear.)

Nonetheless, I loved today because I love hearing what my students want to be--or what they want to joke about being, as the case may be. One of my top-level students, Jay, first raised his hand to say he wanted to be a "watermelon monster." We told him that wasn't a job and moved on. He raised his hand a second time and said he wanted to be a "shemale." We, again, told him that wasn't a job, and I made a mental note that his buqiban teacher must have an interesting sense of humor. (Eventually he said he wanted to be a wrestler.)

It's just so wonderful to hear kids claiming their dreams, at a time when all their dreams are still cool and not boring or faded. When you still have 3 basketball players in a room, and several astronauts and dancers and entertainers and fire fighters, but also get the more thought out but still hard-to-get professions, like fashion designers and architects and computer programmers and paleontologists (yes, one girl claimed it! Another wanted to be an archeologist; writing those words on the board was nerve-wracking for my spelling abilities ,though I got them right). One boy wanted to build the dais (litters? stretchers?) they put deities on for parades (I told him carpenter?); another boy wanted to be a wig designer. I just love the creativity they still have in elementary school!

Then classes were over. As I walked towards the elevators, two of my favorite 5th grade girls, Sammi and Judy, (they always bring me my lunch and chat with me; they recently had me fill out a card for their friendship address book :) ) popped out from behind a pillar and came towards me--bearing gifts! See, my birthday is coming up--another adorable student had given me a very cute pink birthday card earlier--and, thanks to the little cards Judy and Sammi had me fill out, they knew that, and they got me presents. So precious! And the gifts themselves were adorable, too! It's not even my birthday yet and I'm feeling so loved.

Judy's gift! A crystal bear--and about 5X more wrapping paper than was truly necessary. :)

(part of) Sammi's gift: a hippo and hear mug and a pop-up birthday card with a poodle. <3

Everything,including Sarah's card (far left)! Note the cookies in the middle: the rest of Sammi's gift. Girl knows me: cookies and a coffee mug!