Names are fun and they can have some humor. One day almost thirty years ago was particularly challenging. A problem that Montview has is the transiency rate of the school. We often had 50 or more kids rotate through our class in any given year. It was an opportunity to explore the concepts of taking kids from where they are and moving them ahead as fast as you can with the time you have. I also know that there are sometimes signs around us that are pointing to our fate. Having this bad day was made worse by the news that I had 2 kids who were transferring to another school. There was nothing new except that when I read the names I got an ominous feeling. The two students leaving were Moses and Jesus. I have had many students over the years from Hispanic families that used these names. There is an obvious biblical connection as well. I just know that it could get worse when Jesus and Moses were abandoning my class. I took things very delicately for a while just in case.
The ultimate point of this story is to notice things around you and have a sense of humor. As a teacher, I knew that these little pearls were dropped into my life at different times to lighten my mood and light my burden. Nothing is more cleansing than a good laugh. I will say this again often but it is worth repeating. Have fun and enjoy and that will come across to the students and make the room a place to look forward to and not a room to dread.