Small Moments, Big Accomplishments

“It’s kind of my first time sharing,” announced a first grader at the end of our כיבוד (kibud–snack) conversation. This first grader only joined our community in October.

“Yeah usually she just sits there like this looking,” said a second grader. He was noticing that his friend often listens closely to our conversations, but hasn’t been ready to contribute yet. 

“Yeah I had a lot to say about your idea,” she responded.

“Would you like to give her a compliment?” I asked.

And immediately the children jumped right in to congratulate their peer on finding her voice and being ready to share ideas with us. They could recognize what an accomplishment this was for their friend!

One child said, “You did a good job listening and… you did nice speaking.” 

Then another child said with a smile, “You’re talking crazy!” to indicate that talking crazy is a highly valued part of our community.

And we laughed and smiled and celebrated this child’s growth together.