As you know, I am Canadian. As a good Canadian, I had to read "Anne of Green Gables" as a child.
Strike that.
I had to read, watch, discuss, know and LOVE all things regarding Anne of Green Gables (part of the oath in order to be Canadian, I think). We are not talking about the Disney version of Anne. We are talking about the best selling novel, from Prince Edward Island author Lucy Maud Montgomery (I didn't even have to look that up...I'm THAT Canadian!).
If you are not really in touch with all things from the Great White North, you may not be aware that our commitment to Canadian authors, producers, musicians and actors is ALMOST as strong as our commitment to hockey (I said almost...otherwise, there may be a treason charge in my future!).
Nonetheless, I have always loved the character of Anne in the stories. Her spunk is inspiring. her ability to get into trouble is hilarious and that RED HAIR...fabulous! (I might be biased there!).
Above all, I was always drawn to her honesty. That girl just said what she thought. No guessing needed. Not only was she verbally honest, her face showed her thoughts as well.
I am a lot like Anne in that way. My face shows what I am thinking most of the time. I often catch people looking at me in meetings, because it is so easy to see what is on my mind (even worse in zoom when you can't hide behind your neighbors!).
This is the blessing of mask wearing. Masks give a layer of protection from people reading what is on my mind! I can hide many of my emotions behind the mask (just not eye-rolls). I can yawn without people realizing how tired I am. I can even bite my lip during the "It's Friday" dance, and you don't even know!! Seriously, masks are amazing things!
But masks also steal from us. Actually, they steal these same things:
the ability to see emotions,
the ability to know who is tired and yawning constantly,
and the ability to identify who might just be a horrible dancer (actually, I can't hide that behind the mask...it's there for all to see!).
As you get to know your students, you likely have noticed the issue with masks, too. For example:
It is difficult to gauge how a dry joke is going over, when you can't see the quick smirk of the jokester in the back.
Masks prevent us from hearing the start of an answer from the quiet student, who barely speaks up and struggles to connect.
Masks make it hard to tell if those tired looking eyes are just tired from lack of sleep, or if there is a deeper sadness there, as they are accompanied by a frown.
And, while they are great for covering up the acne breakouts and garlic breath from the Italian meal last night, they also cover the best thing...
They cover smiles!
Last week, I was lacking inspiration and found this video in my archives. I've watched it before. But this time, it was the smiles I noticed most. I realized how much I miss seeing our students smile...teeth and all! Check it out.
I hope this brought a smile to your face as well! This week, I hope you find a way to give at least one of your students a reason to smile, even if it is behind a mask! Find joy. Kim
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