Notes from public school - day 109

Eight of my favorite words are serendipity, genius, simple, beauty, plain, wonder, ordinary and kindness.

I chose eight because the number 8 is the symbol for infinity standing up.

They are my infinity words.

This afternoon, I am thinking about five of these words - serendipity, genius, beauty, wonder and kindness - because they describe a person, a moment and a gift.

The person is one of my students. 

She is from Honduras. 

She is nine years old. 

She has a learning disability, so she has to work twice as hard to learn half as much as her non-disabled peers.

She works infinity times as hard as other students.

After 109 days of being her teacher, I knew her life makes the world a more beautiful and wonderful place.

The serendipity for me today was learning that she is a kind genius.

And that takes me to a moment.

First thing this morning, at 7:45 a.m., she appeared at my classroom door with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her face that brightened my classroom and lightened my heavy heart.

“Mr. Barton,” she said in her Spanish/English way that endears her to me, “I painted this for you.”

She held up a small canvas.

And that brings me to the gift.

Look at the painting.

See the genius.

See the beauty.

See the wonder.

See the kindness.

Know the serendipity that I found on an early morning on an ordinary day in public school.

See and know.