Tangled Green Thoughts

Today I had a nice surprise. Before I explain what happened I need to first provide background on one of the students in the class. I'll call her Bjork, because she looks like the singer of the same name. She's the smallest, feistiest girl in the class. If the senior kindergarten students are doing something she'll say, "I want to do that," (she's in junior kindergarten and aged 3). If there are 8 swings available, she'll pick the highest one. If we tell her to stay where she is, she'll move one extra step. She gets away with some of the things she does because she is probably the most adorable girl in the class with her height half of the others and her cheeks twice as round.

Bjork does not like me, at least from what I gathered. I am always on her case about things. For example at snack time she'll try to convince other people to throw away her garbage. She'd stick out her hand to the person next to her and say, "Here, throw this away." And I'd say, "You have to throw away your own food." If someone bumps into her, she makes the most sour face in the world. Her nose scrunches up and eyes narrow, like someone taught her to do that face. And I'd say "Bjork, something strange is happening to your nose! It looks so funny." Then she would turn her head away from me with her little baby arms crossed.

Today her mother brought her in and she was wearing a completely pink outfit: cotton top, cotton pants, and pink running shoes. I said to her "Oh, Bjork, I like your outfit so much! So pretty." Her mother approached me for the first time and said, "You know Bjork always talks about you. I think she loves you. She is always saying Mr. V said this, Mr. V said that. Today I couldn't get her to put on this outfit, and she only put it on when I said, Mr. V will really like it if you wear this outfit." While her mom is told me that, I saw Bjork slyly looking at me from the corner of her eyes. When her mom turned to her and said "See? Mr. V liked what you're wearing" she pretended to look around the room like she didn't hear anything. It was so funny and cute that it made my day.

The student who I thought didn't like me, probably likes me the most.