miss a's worst moments were actually part of an internship for her future career in counseling

I have to go off-task from telling you about either my sad attempts at spending meaningful time with my kids, or about my WTF?? conversation with the librarian about the book Miss A brought home. The librarian hasn't called me back yet. I'm sure answering parent complaints about books is a high priority for her. She probably has to allow at least 24 hours for her anti-eye rolling meds to kick in.

Instead, I have to brag on Miss A.

She came home from school growling and irritable. At dinner, I expected her to be rude and dismissive when I asked what the best part of her day had been.

A boy in her class, whom I will call Tom, has a hard time controlling himself. I only know about him through what Miss A tells me, but I know he has an aide part of the time and I know he often has to be removed from class so he can calm down. At least once, the rest of the children had to be moved to a different classroom while the principal, assistant principal, teacher, aide, etc. worked to calm him.

At dinner, Miss A told us Tom had had a bad day, so she made him a card. This isn't the first time she's done that, and I wondered if she relates to him somewhat because of her own struggles. She described how she tried to sneak the card onto his desk when he wasn't paying attention so he wouldn't yell at her -- if people look at him when he's upset he yells, "DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

After Tom was removed from the classroom today, Miss A's teacher took her aside and told her Tom keeps all of Miss A's notes in a pocket in his back pack, because they make him feel better.

Miss A told her teacher that she used to get upset like Tom, and she went to see a counselor. Her teacher asked if she had any advice, and Miss A told her that the counselor said that when she feels like she's about to lose control, she should go somewhere where she can be alone. So Miss A and her teacher scouted out a tucked-away spot in the classroom and they're going to make a quiet, calming-down space.

She told me this like it was just any old thing that happened. She wasn't super-proud of herself. But I was blown away that she was able to connect Tom's situation to her own, because she tends to believe she is the one flawless human on the planet. And I loved seeing that empathy in her, and love that perseveres even in the face of rejection. Sometimes she is just awesome.