tribute

i love my kids. all 540 of them.

a couple of notables:

in kindergarten
leandria .. who i once saw holding a kindergarten boy's hand through the hallway, like a mother afraid to lose her child in a busy mall.
cristian .. who excitedly says hello to me no matter how far away i am and how loud he has to say it.
victor .. who translates rudolph into spanish (for the not-so-fluent-in-english kindergarteners) between phrases while we're singing.

in first grade
jesus .. who eats his m&m's half by half to truly savor the taste. a miniature gentleman, in spite of his awful father. if i could bring him home and take better care of him, i would.
carl .. the little old man in a 6-year-old's body, whose sense of humor is second to none in the entire school.
jenny .. because it's her birthday today, and she's so sweet.

in second grade
sky .. who once told me i was beautiful on my sickest, most miserable day, and who takes such great care of her little brother, mario.
marcus .. holding up the quiet sign for me without even asking, somehow sensing the volume was giving me a headache.
justin .. for his silver tooth, his love for the beach boys, and his willingness to dance as hard and as often as he can.

in third grade
makahla .. who, on my first day of teaching, nearly frustrated me to tears, but who later proved to be a natural leader, helper, and dancer extraordinaire.
kevin o. .. who frustrates every teacher in the school, but who has won me over. i love him for his rebellion. he's che guevara without a notable cause.
gabriel .. another stinker, but his smile beams with nothin' but love.

in fourth grade
michelle .. the girl whose attention is won for an hour by something as simple as a pink feather, and whose mild ocd keeps my room in tip top shape.
brandon .. who tries. he really does. he's on constant behavior watch for yelling out when he shouldn't, but he's charming and has a great sense of pitch.
kevin .. my first star student for music class. he encourages others. he spreads the love and gets much of it in return. he's sure got life figured out.
tremaine .. the black sheep. he's the reindeer with the red nose who's bound to be a star someday. "then, one foggy christmas eve.."

in fifth grade
alexis and yvonne .. they love me, they love music, and i wish i could send them to interlochen for the summer to become world class child pianists.
jacob .. it must be hard being the only white kid. i saw him hide his tears when the kids joked that he should dress as santa for the concert just because he's not thin. still, he never runs away from his reality, because it only makes him stronger.

in sixth grade
isai .. for giving a shit about mozart and the beatles, even though they're both old.
nestor .. for having a good day once in a while, and thus making mine.

in seventh grade
angelique .. who is mature beyond her years. an absolute, unbearable disaster, leaving everyone around her in tears when she doesn't take her medication; a mature, respectful, creative, happy young woman when she does.
francisco .. smart, smart, smart.
evelyn .. whose hair hanging in her face and droopy expression lead me to believe she doesn't think anyone loves her. but i do.

in eighth grade
leo .. big, quiet, lovable.
felix .. a celebrity at west belden. a real pain in the ass, but clever and quick with a great taste in music.
brianna .. beautiful, intelligent, open-minded, calm, grown-up.

i'm headed outside to play crossing guard and say goodbye to them all for today. i'm lucky to know them.

24 and there's so much more

the last thing i want to talk about is the holiday concert. i'm already sick of planning it. i hope it goes well, and that's all.

this weekend was will's and my anniversary. we spent it at an all day jiu jitsu tournament (which was actually pretty fun -- i'm not complaining). will didn't fight, but he will next time. it's going to be really exciting when he does. we drove home beneath an angry ice storm and spent nearly an hour trying to find a parking spot in our neighborhood. will wanted to drop me off and look, but i said i'd stick by him and pay my dues as passenger in his car.

after getting home and exchanging gifts (i got us a couples massage, and he bought me some body shop stuff) we went to joe's crab house downtown and pretended we were fancy for a night. we were surrounded by the kings and queens of the downtown corporate circuit. they were the upper crust of chicago, with their suits and their nose jobs, their every-hair-in-place and their $400 bags. i felt pleasantly left out. in fact, amidst the hustle and flow of surely one of the busiest restaurants that saturday evening, i felt this strange feeling of privacy. we didn't know anyone and didn't fit in. we had our own table and our own little world. i loved it.

the 1st graders, who are singing "i saw mommy kissing santa clause, were leaving today when i was confronted with this:
1st grader: (angrily) ms. levine! carl said he saw my mom kissing santa clause!
me: i'm sure he was just joking.
1st grader: (very adamently) yes, he was!