Sometimes you get to be a rock star without even trying….

Like when you leave the house for an hour and come home to two pups who greet you like you’ve been gone for months and there is nothing in the world they would rather do than lick your face and tell you in doggie speak how wonderful they think you are.

Or when you walk into your daughter’s fourth grade class and they treat you like royalty just because you showed up and smiled at them.

This was my experience yesterday when I became not just Jana Jarvis, but “Miss McCay’s mom”.  A completely different identity, it would seem.  Because, apparently, Miss McCay’s mom rocks. 🙂

The day started with lots of smiles and shy waves.  Everyone was so well behaved (Brittany talks in such a calm, soft voice that it demands their listening ears and attention – really amazing to watch!) that they didn’t approach me when they were meant to be learning and testing.  They kept to task and were nothing bur respectful to each other and their sweet teacher.

But soon a note was discovered on Miss McCay’s desk, addressed: To:  Miss McCay and Mom  From:  Student.

Britt and I opened it to find this:

And my heart melted all over the floor.

Moments later, the little one that wrote it was getting in line for recess and I saw her looking on the teacher’s desk to see if the note had been discovered yet.  I caught her eye and said quietly, “Thank you so much for your sweet note.  It made my day.”  She beamed.   Connection.  And I’m caught, hook, line and sinker.

As they were taking their spelling test, one of the words was thermometer.  One boy raised his hand and asked to share a comment about the word.  “Miss McCay, did you realize that the word thermometer has the word “mom” in it and your Mom is here today?”   Smile.  Eye contact.  Connection.

But this little charmer wasn’t done.  Later, while discussing vocabulary words, the word “indescribable” came up, the students gave sentences using the word and defined it in their own words, giving examples.  Several other words were discussed and then this little guy’s arm shot up again.  He asked if he could go back to the word indescribable  because he had a definition.  Miss McCay said of course he could share.  The first time he said it, we didn’t catch it, as he was looking up at the ceiling.  But when he repeated it, I blushed for the first time in forever.  “When Miss McCay’s Mom came into our class it was “indescribable” because she was so beautiful!”  This from a fourth grade boy.  Not worried about what the other kids thought.  Just putting it out there.  (Strangely and wonderfully enough, no one made fun of him for this comment.)  This kid made my day.

But this was not the end of it.  At recess, unbeknownst to Britt and me, when he should have been playing wall ball and running around with his friends, he instead went to the office and made a call to his mom.  An hour later, when they were in their dance class, this boy with the largest smile to ever grace a fourth grade face, marched up to me with this:

I think I have an admirer…:-)

Sometimes you get to be a rock star without even trying.  Just because you’re Miss McCay’s Mom.

Thanks, Miss McCay, for one absolutely great day.  You are the best teacher ever!  You’re the real rock star here, both in my book and theirs. 🙂  I couldn’t be more proud of you doing exactly what you were made and meant to do.  You are brilliant and natural at it. And once more I am in awe of the woman my baby girl has become….