Perspective

I like my job at the elementary school, which is good because it used to be that other people's kids weren't my favorite. I really didn't like negotiating with other people's kids. I guess when my own kids were little, I'd had enough snot and tears so that other people's snot and tears pushed me a bit over the edge. Or it could be that I've matured and gained a little perspective so that snot and tears don't bug me like they used to.

My job title is "intervention aide." I guess intervention is the new resource. Resource must have gained a bad reputation over the years. Resource is defined as: a source of support or aid. Intervention is defined as: interference in the affairs of another. From my perspective, resource seems like the better choice. Nonetheless, my job is to help kids who are either falling behind their class, or who are getting ahead of their class (so basically intervening in their affairs).

One of my groups is kindergarten. Yesterday I stopped in the kindergarten room to pick up my 14 friends who need help learning their letters. One girl, who is not in our group, stood up when I entered the room and said, "I've never had a turn to go with you. Not once. I want a turn!" I loved how, from her perspective, theses kids who were taken out of class each day for 20 minutes were the lucky ones. Little does she know water boarding is a great way to teach the alphabet.

So I suppose life is how you look at it. Me, myself, I'm a "glass is half full" kinda gal. I agree with the perspective of a little girl who thinks that any individualized attention must be a good thing.