Happy Resumption, everyone!

Yeah, school resumed today. Work began. It was good seeing the faces of students and colleagues who have been like family to me. Oh, I miss the holidays, but it’s good to be back.
I was one of the lucky few who started the resumption with classes. I actually had the first two periods of the day. I walked into a class of about ten students (the other half are yet to resume) and was engulfed in New Year hugs and pecks. Sweet, yeah? But, as expected, one child’s show of love went further. The child asked about my family, my parents, how I enjoyed the Christmas break, and if I travelled as I planned. The child went on to tell me how the parents were encouraged by the last school report and the goals planned for the year.
I have at least one every year.

The child I wish I could clone.
The kid that is so sweet, respectful, polite, works hard, helpful, gets along with their peers, an absolute delight!
Sigh, I truly wish I could clone them.

The ‘cloning’ thought has passed through my minds so many times in my teaching career.

But you know what? I would have a very boring classroom.

Each one of our students is an individual complete with their own idiosyncrasies. Love it or hate it, we have to accept them for who they are.
However, we do have the option of tweaking them. Not so much that they lose who they are, but enough so that they can be a positive influence in our classroom family.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to make the disrespectful, respectful; the needy, self-sufficient; the slacker, a hardworker.
As teachers, that’s part of our job. We can’t throw back the ones we don’t want, and we definitely can’t clone them (sigh). But we can work with what we’re given, and hopefully, make a difference!