Proud September 10, 2012
Posted by susan in 2011.trackback
This weekend, Selam decided that she didn’t want to go back to school again ever. Her reason for this was that the teacher speaks too quickly for her to understand her. “Well, what about asking the teacher to speak slower?”
Selam decided that was okay. I told her that I would make an appointment and talk to the teacher, and Selam said, “but you aren’t in room 3.” We talked it over some more and decided that talking to the teacher by herself would be too hard, but she didn’t want to me to do it, either. So she decided she wanted to talk to the teacher herself but I would come along, “like my assistant.” Okay.
I wrote to the teacher and asked for a meeting before school and she agreed.
This morning, Selam and I got there at 8, and Selam was all business. It was kind of awesome.
“Mrs. P, I wanted to have a meeting with you.”
“And I was happy to hear that.”
“You see, I really like being in this class but sometimes you kind of talk really fast and I don’t understand what you are saying and then that makes me really sad. So I think you can talk slower and I have an idea how.”
Teacher interrupts—”you’re not the first person to say that. I do talk fast. Thank you for telling me. Maybe we need a sign.”
“I already decided that we should have a sign, and here’s what it is.”
She shows the teacher her sign.
The teacher agrees to the sign, and then says that if she doesn’t see the sign, (which is a raised fist just shoulder high) then Selam should raise her hand and do the sign.
Selam agrees to that.
Teacher, “Well thank you for talking to me, Selam, I think this will work out.”
Selam, ” I think we should shake hands now.”
They did.
Oh this “LOL” term is so over-used that when you really do laugh out loud (and shake your head in wonderment and pride), it just doesn’t do it justice. So instead I will say Selam makes my heart sing and giggle — at the same time.
I so wish you lived in our city. I’d love to help you find a Kindergarten where she’d thrive. She sounds like she has such a genuine, sweet soul.
Yay for awesome Selam!
You and Selam are both totally awesome.
My favorite part was the handshake. That was totally ad libbed. We’d rehearsed the general flow of things–say you like the teacher, say you don’t understand, see if there is a solution (I had suggested that she and the teacher come up with a solution together, but she really was never into that.) The handshake, though–classic selam.
This is the cutest EVER. I love it!
That is maybe the most awesome, self confident thing I have ever heard. Way to go Selam.
Don’t you know that teacher left the meeting thinking, “I love being a teacher.”
Just like the mother left the meeting thinking, “I love being a mother.”
And of course, Selam loves being Selam. So it’s a win-win-win.
Well, I was teary before I read this post and it’s set me off again. So much sweetness in this story – little moments of magic.
Wonderful, all the way around.
I wonder how my life would have been different if I had learned how to ask for what I needed when I was Selam’s age. You are a marvelous parent.