Today I was able to leave school feeling less like a train
wreck and more accomplished than usual.
Originally all of the punching,
slapping, pinching, and hitting that goes on between the students in Cambodia
caught me off guard. I used to be hasty to attempt to save the day, jumping in
between my students to be their hero, or in this case, their heroine. However,
the students have always been just as quick to tell me to calm down and relax.
“Cha, we do this because we love” they have repeated over and over to me.
Okay, that makes a whole heck of a lot of sense kids….
As convincing as their cute little
faces are…I still find myself somewhat appalled every time I witness my precious kids turn
psycho and full out WWE style smack one another. Because I just still have not
accustomed myself to their loving violence, in our classroom we have a “no
hitting” policy.
The students are still getting used
to showing their “affection” in other ways, and they still try to make sure to get
their energy out at recess and not in our classroom. Nonetheless, from time to time they do forget
and today I had the most personal of encounters with this “love displaying”
gesture.
Little Vanneth |
Today is special. Today marks the
day I received my first love punch. Vanneth, my youngest student averaging around
3 feet and 50 pounds, came FLYING down the hall directly for me with the most
gigantic smile you can imagine. He was sprinting full pace with his arms
outstretched beside him screaming at the top of his lungs “CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AMBERRRRR!!!.”
Before I knew any different my left forearm was throbbing with pain. Only after the initial shock wore off did I realize what had just occurred.
Vanneth full out WWE style whacked me and the weird thing about it was that I somehow knew right away that it came out of love. He did not even stop to say sorry or even to see if my arm was okay...and to be honest I was totally okay with it! I quickly found Alex and with excitement stated, “I think I get it now!!” She just shook her head.
I so wish that I could even somewhat accurately get across how much joy my students bring me. They lessen my longing for home and make this whole experience so much more worth it. Today my arm may be sore, but truthfully I could not feel more honored.
-Amber
Vanneth full out WWE style whacked me and the weird thing about it was that I somehow knew right away that it came out of love. He did not even stop to say sorry or even to see if my arm was okay...and to be honest I was totally okay with it! I quickly found Alex and with excitement stated, “I think I get it now!!” She just shook her head.
I so wish that I could even somewhat accurately get across how much joy my students bring me. They lessen my longing for home and make this whole experience so much more worth it. Today my arm may be sore, but truthfully I could not feel more honored.
-Amber