Treasures (by a substitute blogger)

Emma visited my classroom a lot over the years but only once when school was in session.  It was April 1999.  Emma was in first grade and on vacation.  I had school that week, so I asked if Emma could come with me on Take Your Daughter to School Day.  Emma was really excited.  I was a little nervous.  I taught fourth grade then, and my kids seemed way bigger than little Emma.  I wondered how they would treat her.  I wondered how Emma would react to the day.  I wondered if she would need a lot of my attention. I shouldn’t have worried. 


By the spring of first grade, Emma was an old pro at school.  She joined right in with everything we did.  She led the Pledge, read books during silent reading, joined the line as we walked to Music, fiddled with electrical circuits during science, and even raised her hand to answer a question. She drew pictures when we were doing something that didn’t interest her.  To Emma, it seemed so natural.  She liked school, and she was getting to spend the day with me.  She considered herself part of this new class. 


In the afternoon, Emma worked in the back of the room by herself.  She was cutting, gluing, coloring, and writing busily.  After a while, she walked to the center of the room, her hand raised.  One of my kids pointed this out to me.  “Um, Emma has something to say.” 
“Yes, Emma?” I said.
“I’ve created a  treasure hunt for the class.  Would you like to try it?”  This was really how she talked in first grade.
I hesitated.  She hadn’t told me she was doing this.  We were in the middle of a lesson on something (I’m sure it was very important). I worried that this might be a bit of a management challenge. Twenty-four kids, all hunting for treasure?  Sometimes Emma’s ideas weren’t so practical.
“I’ve made some stars out of blue paper, and I’ve hidden them around the classroom.  I’ve also written some clues.”
I still hesitated.  Fortunately, one of the class leaders, Julian, had really taken a liking to Emma.  He was also very competitive.  “Can we do it?” he asked. “Please?”
I relented.  Emma walked up next to me at the front of the room and read the first clue. The race was on.  At each spot, there was a hand-cut star and a new clue.  Julian led the charge, reading the clue out loud and dashing to the next spot, the whole class following en masse. I watched, amazed at what Emma had done.  The hunt probably lasted about three minutes.  But they’re fixed in my mind.  Julian found the treasure over by the toad’s tank, a special star that Emma had created.  He jumped up and down as though he’d just won the big game.  “Can I keep it?” he asked her.
Emma beamed.  “Well, you won my special treasure hunt, so of course you can keep the treasure.”


I don’t know if Julian still has his treasure, but this is mine.
        -Peter