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12 | December 28, 2017 | The glencoe anchor Sound Off
glencoeanchor.com
City Girl Confessions
Getting a glimpse of what we usually don’t see
Kelly Anderson
Contributing Columnist
Glencoe resident
Just this week I
had a chance to do
something unusual:
volunteer in my son’s
classroom. Given my
schedule, deadlines,
and 2-year-old daughter
constantly attached to
me, this is not something
I can normally swing.
However, with a grandparent
babysitting and
a one-hour time frame
working in my favor, I
was able to pull it off.
Here’s the thing: there
is something sneakily
cool about peeking in
on a part of life that we
normally don’t see. Sure,
I sit down and pore over
homework or notes from
the teacher but I never
get to “see” what my son
does during the day at
school. I basically rely on
our school app, teacher
feedback and whatever
my son will volunteer
over dinner conversation.
The same can be said
for our spouses and
friends. We may see them
often or every day but we
don’t always get to fully
follow their day. This is
perfectly normal and
typical but it also makes
things all the more fascinating
when we occasionally
get to see them shine
in their element, be it with
career, family or hobby.
But back to the school
volunteering. I learned
that classroom parties
are intricate and festive
(craft tables, games,
goody bags, oh my!).
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I learned that teachers
have a special gift
for kid communication:
speak calm and clear
and you often get the
best response in return. I
learned that 6-year-olds
have excellent senses of
humor and are quick with
compliments (“Your hair
is long and nice,” a child
whispered to me).
But most endearingly, I
was able to watch my son
interact in his classroom
and exist in the world. I
was able to see a part of
his day that is normally
unknown. I noticed that
he was polite, eager to
help others, excited to
get his construction paper
snowman just right, and
he wasn’t easily distracted.
When kids gathered
on a rug to read a story,
he asked his teacher if it
was OK to sit on my lap.
He may be nearly 6 years
old and 45 pounds, but
for a brief moment it was
kind of nice remembering
he is still my little boy.
To piggyback on the
endearing thoughts, may I
just say that your children
are also great?
Yes, Glencoe residents,
I’m talking about you. My
son often shares stories
and names of treasured
friends and classmates and
it was very fun matching
faces to those names.
Your children are creative,
funny, interesting,
silly, happy and inquisitive:
exactly the kind of
classmates you hope your
children have.
I’ll confess, school has
always been a place that
made me happy and it’s
pretty special to see other
kids recognize happiness
in their education.
While I normally never
get a glimpse of my son’s
school life, for a brief moment
I was glad not to be
a fly on the wall, but to be
a presence in the room.
Kelly Q. Anderson is a
writer, photographer and
former Chicagoan. She pens
blogs and books from her
home in Glencoe, which she
shares with her husband,
son, daughter and Boston
terrier.
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