Changer.

 Execupundit on relationships ...

Here's a rule of life: you have to be there. You have to listen and laugh and argue and comfort the people around you in a multitude of exchanges where life's mystery means you may not know just which exchange was the most important.

I can recall off-hand conversations from long ago that seriously affected my life and even my world view.

You never know, but that raised eyebrow, that quiet reassurance, that brief pat on the back may be another person's life changer.

Don't hide away. Get out among 'em.

There is a student in our school, Clementine, who stops by my classroom every single morning for a brief chat before heading upstairs to her homeroom.  We aren't in any classes together, but in the past I've had her siblings, Ruby, Olive, and Violet (no joke).  Clementine makes my day with her smiles, her corny jokes, and the fact that she usually brings a friend in tow, a student that, most likely, I'd never have gotten the chance to meet.  Some of Clementine's friends have begun Clementine's routine on their own, so now I'm meeting drama club kids, skater kids, kids who cook, new kids who don't speak a word of English, kids whose siblings are classroom legacies, kids who teach me dances, handshakes, and suggest good books I should read.

This year, walking the hallways is quite a different experience.  Kids rule!

(Oh! I've been told by these kids that saying "Good morning" to students I don't know is creepy and they won't respond [this happens].  Instead, they've taught me to say, "'Sup" [it works].  We often discuss what I call "reading the room"; they call it "matching energy." We're both learning.)

Thanks to Clementine and Mr. Wade.