Day 242

1/12/23

One of our favorite Therapy Dog visits would have to be at the elementary school where we read with first graders. I taught primary grades throughout my teaching career, but my nine years with first graders was something magical. They are guileless, honest, energetic and full of curiosity. I never met a jaded six-year-old!

Ranger is the best, non-judgmental listener around, so our young friends feel no sense of nervousness when they sit down to read to this furry guy. They often start up on the bench and then end up right down on the floor with their audience.

One young reader was exceptionally fluent and full of expression as she read her Mo Willems book about Piggy and Gerald. This particular story had a character suffering from a cold. When she was done, she looked me in the eye and began...

"Sometimes I think about germs. If you sneeze into a tissue, the germs are there. When you throw it in the waste basket, the germs are there. The janitor throws it into a dumpster and now they have spread there. The germs are picked up and now they go to the dump. Birds and animals run around and pick up the germs and run away from the dump. Maybe they run to the school with the germs. No wonder we get sick ALL the time!"

I solemnly nodded and fought back my laughter (My eyes were actually watering with the effort!). I acknowledged her wisdom and thanked her for making me think. When she got up to go, she got down and gave Ranger some love. (I couldn't help but think of possible germs that were shared at that moment and where they were headed!)

This is why I love first graders! This little one's wisdom was so profound in her own way. Guileless, honest, energetic and FULL of curiosity indeed! I want to be more like her when I grow up!