Coffee Talks With My Son

I remember well that morning a few weeks ago.  My son came home from school and announced, "My biology teacher is really cool.  She gives me coffee."

My first reaction to this declaration was one of surprise, and I remember thinking, "Oh, great.  That sounds like a real healthy thing for a teacher to do...get your students all jacked up on caffeine."  I just looked at my son, smiled and said, "Really?  Well, I guess there aren't many students dozing off in class."

My son kind of chuckled, and said "Nope."

Let me qualify this story by telling you that my son is in high school, not kindergarten.  Up to that point I had never seen him drink coffee, nor did I know he had any kind of desire to drink coffee.  Aside from that, I had never heard him refer to a teacher as being "really cool".

My son has never enjoyed school, and studying has never been his thing.  He's very intelligent, but grades have never been of a great concern to him.  He has never been one to participate much in class, especially in asking questions.  He had a Math teacher in the eighth grade who yelled and acted annoyed with him if he asked a question about something he didn't understand.  As a result, he just stopped asking.

Imagine my surprise this year when he started coming home and doing his homework without any prodding from me.  His normal routine would be to come home and start playing his favorite computer game.

Something else started to happen as well.  Each morning before school, my son started coming into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee.  He would then plop down at the kitchen table with me, and we would talk.  We talk about family, school, his friends.  He tells me funny stories or something he's learned.  He takes great delight in showing me Math puzzlers to see if I can do them.  When I can't, he just smiles and says, "I was the only one in my class to figure it out."

These morning coffee talks with my son have become something I really look forward to.  I wake up each morning, brew a fresh pot, put out sugar and creamer.  I even went to the store and bought some of the speciality creamers that he loves. 

 Such a simple thing started by a teacher...but something that has somehow opened my son's eyes.  He now realizes that teachers can be cool and learning can be fun. 

That simple gesture of his teacher making coffee for him each morning gives him a message of belonging, acceptance, and respect.

Last night I went to an open house at my son's school.  He was going to be demonstrating how to extract DNA from a kiwi.  The really neat part about this is the fact that he volunteered to do this, knowing it was a way to receive extra credit.  This is also the first time I can remember he has ever volunteered or did anything for extra credit.  I was so proud of him as he stood up there, confident and knowledgeble, even making us laugh a few times.

Afterwards, the teacher thanked me for allowing my wonderful child to be in her classroom.  She said he is always on point, does all of his work, participates, and is a positive foce in the class.  He has an A in her class, one to add onto the A's and B's from his other classes. (Last year he made D's)

As I walked around his class, I  heard other students telling their parents about  how wonderful their teacher was.  Several times I heard the words, "My teacher is so cool.  She gives me coffee."