If Only Jack Had Invoked This Rule

So, I think I've mentioned that I really love my job. Some parts are really frustrating (see: today's home visit where I was trying to talk to mom about her concerns about her 5-year-old's behavior while he was upstairs playing Halo on Xbox, occasionally coming down to tell us about how he "shot that guy right in the balls"), or sad (my second home visit, to see a 4-month-old who was exposed to meth and alcohol prenatally), but other parts are delightful (said 4-month-old is actually doing quite well, considering, and gave me gummy smiles).

And sometimes? My job is absurdly awesome.

My classroom is in an elementary school, and the older kids had recently made posters about school rules that were then displayed in the halls. Yesterday, a not-quite-five-year-old looked at one and said to me, "This says 'no yelling.'" He was right. When his mom came to pick him up, I told her about it, because I sure didn't know that this kiddo was either recognizing words or interpreting pictures. She was surprised as well, so we went back to the picture and I asked him, "What does this say?" He examined the picture closely, pointed his little finger and said, "No...yelling...giants."

Well, actually, that's pretty close...


I notice he didn't address the disembodied feet, nor did he interject the word "hydrocephalic" before "giants," but he is only five.