Monday, February 28.
I welcome my students, like I always do,
taking special note of who is maskless.
There are only a few kids,
T is one of them.
I am not surprised.
He has struggled with masks all year.
Later, I work with him and several of his maskless buddies in a small group.
"I love not wearing masks," says G. "I can breathe again."
"And you can see what people look like." says B,
casting a sideways glance at a current love interest.
"What do you look like?" T says to me.
The questions surprises me.
"What do I look like?"
I don't quite know how to answer.
I look like an old lady. I'm still a little offended by senior discounts.
I look like a veteran teacher. Almost forty years in the classroom.
I look like a mom.
Two pretty much grown sons who still live in my house. But rarely talk to me.
I look like a dog mom.
Rooney, the service dog I'm training,
snores in his basket at the side of the classroom.
I look like a reader. A writer. A walker.
A beach lover.
And this month, I look like a slicer.
I think I've done this about ten times.
And I'm looking forward to doing it again this year.
Happy March!
Happy slicing!
What a perfect opening in your day for a slice that (re-)introduces you to the community! Love the authenticity of the question from a student who cares and wants to know.
ReplyDelete"What do you look like?" I love how you answered this question! We all have so many looks, right? It will be weird to start seeing people's full faces again. I mean, I see people on zoom, but that's not the same as sharing space with maskless people. I wonder how it will feel. Happy SOLSC month!
ReplyDeleteCarol, it is good connecting with you again during a challenge. I found your repetitious phrase, "I lool like a", an interesting format for your first SOLSC slice. Sometimes, I wonder what the face behind the mask really looks like. Have a great month of slicing.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting approach to answer "What do you look like?" question. Great introduction.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful piece. I love how you move from that literal question to exploring different facets of your identity. (Also, how odd it can be to see someone without their mask for the first time! This week I saw a couple of my students without their masks and had no idea that's what they looked like!)
ReplyDeleteSo excited to see your blog pop up on my reading list. Love your answers to "What do I look like?" I knew all those things about you except "a beach lover." Welcome back, Carol!
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