Tonight I had the pleasure of dining with a student from my school that had won my Teacher Time raffle of dinner at Max and Erma's with me and one of his friends. The student that won was actually one of my students, and the friend he chose was from my class as well. It was a hoot being in a different environment with these two boys. They were totally entertaining; I felt like maybe there was a role reversal. I was having so much fun I thought maybe I had won the prize.
The night that worked the best for both my schedule and the students' schedules turned out to be a Tuesday night. Imagine my surprise (and a little embarrassment) when I realized that Tuesday night at Max and Erma's was "Kids Eat Free" night. The boys, M and J, got quite a kick out of that situation.
Because I felt so bad about not having to pay for their meals, after dinner we wandered over to the neighboring Graeter's ice cream, and I treated them to an ice cream treat of their choice. If they were excited before, they were over the moon with their dessert.
But, my favorite part of the evening was when I dropped off M (the actual winner) at his house, and he thanked me profusely for such a great night. He couldn't believe how quickly 2 hours had flown by (to be honest, neither could I)!!
My take-away from the evening is a no-brainer -- there is always more to our students than we see in the short time we spend with them at school. Tonight, I got an upclose and personal look at two people and I found I was delighted with what I saw. As I drove home, I wondered who the real winner of my teacher time raffle was -- M or me?
I enjoyed reading this post as it sent an important message about how important it is to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other. Teacher and students each benefitted from being allowed to see one another in an environment that allowed greater insight. Quite uplfiting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely evening for the both of you and an important reminder about relationships and what they mean. Thanks for the positive start to my day.
ReplyDeleteWe're trying a Time With Teacher raffle for the first time this year. I've offered a trip to Highbanks to go creeking! Wonder who I'll get to spend time with and I hope they like wading in a river and looking at creepy-crawlies! (Does this offer send you back a few years??? :-)
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