A trio of well know Second Grade troublemakers called me over to their lunch table so they could tattle on one of the members of the Troublemakers Trio. They informed me that this little darling (let's call him John) had called them a "racist". This is outside of the norm. Really racist is not in a Second Graders vocabulary for the most part. Usually, we hear that kids have been called a butthead, a jerk, a crybaby, etc. But, racist? Never.
I thought it would be wise to further investigate what I believed to be a rather serious claim. Here's how the conversation went down:
Me: "John, did you call these two boys racists?"
John: "Yup."
Me: "Why?"
John: "Because they are racist."
Me: "What makes you think that? What did they say or do to make you think they are racist?"
John: "Well, they are racist because they were racing to drink their milk."
John: "Well, they are racist because they were racing to drink their milk."
Me: "Oh." walking off, stifling my wild laughter
I am so thankful for all the funnies I have throughout my day. It reminds me how very much I love kids, even the "Troublemaker Trio". Sometimes, in the midst of dealing with all of the name-calling, shouting, cartwheels in the middle of my lesson, and silly questions, I forget that I am called to this high purpose of instructing, no guiding, His kids. These little moments always help me focus on what's really important...the heart of the child...the beautiful, funny, sensitive, and downright precious heart of His child.
