Being with Children

Laura Butera, Promise Fellow at Sheppard Elementary

In my younger days, I harbored a particular dislike for that odd breed of human known as child. I abhorred their grubby fingers, their tempestuous dispositions, their brutally honest observations. Aside from the younger brother I so adored, I wanted minimal contact with what I perceived as bizarre creatures. Over time, my view softened considerably, and by my mid-twenties I was interested in working with children in a professional capacity. Enter my service term with CalSERVES, which would forever squelch any lingering misgivings and cynicism towards children.

Oh, how those who knew me as a teenager would be shocked to see how I now spend my days. In the mornings, I engage in competitive rounds of Sight Word Memory Game with my tutee Jerry, who attends meticulously to our score board. At lunch, fawning second-grade girls seek out my table and begin practicing for careers in cosmetology on my hair. In the afternoon, a theatrical and imaginative third grader named Diego shouts “Princess!” and throws his arms around my waist; we waltz. As the after school program reaches full swing, I laugh as Raul, acknowledging our shared fandom, exuberantly cries, “Michael Jackson is legendary! He’s the best of the best!” As I begin my lesson for art specialty, I present the primary-colored ice cubes I have concocted, then embrace the kids’ enthusiastic delight in witnessing this mundane yet somehow dazzling spectacle. At twilight, when the palm trees bordering the school become silhouettes against the indigo sky, I watch homeward-bound children walking with siblings, parents, aunts, and uncles. I smile and bid them goodnight.