shells

There are some kids that come into my office and won't stop talking...then there are those that come in and it is like trying to crack a walnut with your bare hands. There are some kids that even at the age of five have seen more than one person should see in a lifetime. The horror...the nightmare...their life. It is amazing to me that they function at all...

Today...one of those kids came into my office and there was a crack in her shell. For the first time I could see beyond her eyes and into a small piece of her soul. A very small piece...but a piece non the less.

It is small victories like this that we social workers live for everyday!

puma

Yesterday I am giving a lesson to a class of 5th graders. One child points out that the box that I have...attempted to cover...with paper is a Puma box and coincidentally I am wearing Pumas! What a great observation!

First thing this morning that same child pops her head into my office..."Look Ms. Housel, Puma!" She had wore her Puma shirt and informed me that she had Puma shorts but it was too cold to wear them!

It amazes me how much kids strive for that connection...in any way they can get it! Makes my heart smile!