The Miracles

They imagine the Lego bricks are food and cook for each other. They come to me and tell me they are happy. Why? I ask. Because we are happy, they answer smiling. When we go to the library, they give me seven books and ask me to read them all; the same ones we did last week when we went to the library.

They are always ready to dance with me, especially when I put the Dinosaur Stomp on. They walk in a wiggly line after me and collect every stick and stone they see. They want to see all the bugs in the world and they want to look at them closely. They hold hands whenever it’s possible, and three students sitting on the teacher’s lap is not too much. They run when it’s possible because walking is too boring.

They tell me about the snakes they have seen and that they are not scared of snakes because they are not scared of anything. They plan trips to the other side of the universe. They want to reach for the same achievements as their heroes. Then they tell me about Mums and Dads who hug them when they are scared.

They come jumping to me and ask how much more until the school day is over. And the next morning they are back asking how much more until lunch. In the middle of something, out of the blue, they ask questions that make me wonder if I’ve ever asked the right questions. 

Why are the animals so different in size? How far away is the sky?

When the day is over, they take their bags and wave from the classroom door. They look tired but they don’t stop talking. There is a silence after them. I sit down to think. I don’t get it. The world is full of uncertainty, fear and bad news and in that same world live the first graders. The miracles ...

Written by Miska Vinonen, Class teacher of 1