The beauty of doing something ordinary...

There’s a book we have in the Learning Commons at school, one I have often given as a gift, titled Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson. It is the story of Mary, a young girl whose one kind deed travels around the world in a matter of days, ultimately returning to her (Wally would have loved it because it’s also a math problem)...

Briefly, Mary left some blueberries for the neighborhood baker; the baker, unsure of who left her the berries, thinks of five people who may have done it and gifts them with blueberry muffins; those five people were so grateful they in turn did something kind for five people and so on and so one….you get the idea: 

1

5

25

125

625

3125

15,625

78,125

390,625

1,953,125

9,953,625

48,828,125

244,140,625

1,220,703,125

6,103,515,625

A few weeks ago I sat down at my computer, opened up Facebook and there in Messenger was a note from Tiffany,

“Hi Ms. Coupe.  I'm not sure if you remember me after teaching so many students and so many lapsed years but I was in your 3rd grade class at Our Lady of Mercy in Port Chester.  You crossed my mind while doing an assignment so I decided to search good old Facebook to locate you…..”

She included the class photo, pointed out who she was and was incredibly gracious in speaking of her third grade memories. I remember Tiffany’s smile and her joy. I responded to the message and as luck would have it, Tiffany was online and we had a thoroughly delightful conversation. She caught me up on some of her classmates, what she’s doing now and offered some post pandemic travel advice. It was perfection.

 

My heart was so full at the end of the conversation and it got me thinking about the teachers in my life that deserve a note of thanks, understanding that learning takes place in many different environments, especially as we age. What did I do?  I sat down and wrote some notes because my life has been changed, especially as an adult, by the folks who hired me, who welcomed me into their classrooms and who helped me clarify my vision of what a school community should look like. I am forever grateful.

So thanks, Tiffany, for taking the time to reach out. Perhaps this simple kindness will somehow work its way around the world, too.

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM

A simple lesson from Kadir Nelson

Last week I read a book by Kadir Nelson to the kids called Baby Bear. To be honest, I chose the book because of the incredible illustrations. Kadir is a painter, has two Caldecott honor books, won the Caldecott Medal last year and his work is often seen on the cover of the New Yorker. It's Black History month and I wanted the students to know about this incredible African American illustrator.

Baby Bear is about a cub who has lost his way and spends a whole night wandering the forest looking for home. He encounters a bunch of animals who give him advice on finding his way (spoiler alert: he was always home he just didn't realize it).

It is a beautiful book but there is one page, one bit of advice that has stuck with me and that is from the moose who says,

"When I am lost, I sit very still and try to listen to my heart, It speaks as softly and as sweetly as a gentle breeze. And it is never wrong. It will lead you home."

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM