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MARY ANN MOSS

i resisted the urge to give a bear hug.

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i wanted some pictures to go with this post, so i pulled these up from the DFLA archives.  i haven't looked at these visual journals in awhile and they inspire me to sit down with a pen and markers and some paint and scissors and scraps of paper and cut loose.  so i'm gonna.  as soon as i finish my story.

NOT that the pics are remotely connected to the story.  

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nearly every day for the last couple of months mumu, an  elderly chinese woman who walks over from the senior center to help with school breakfast,  has been telling me, since she found out my last day was approaching, "no! no! no!  you no go!  you STAY!"  

since my stint began at this school in january of last year, mumu has been a constant source of delight.  she went on nearly all of our field trips last year and on many days when i felt the sting of being a complete outsider she was often the only one (aside from my students) i could count on to greet me everyday.  she speaks VERY little english and i speak only 3 words of chinese, but somehow i bonded with her.  i don't mean to imply that the other staff are rude or unkind, they are not, but there are cultural differences that my social school persona has been unable to penetrate.  last year at the end-of-the-year 5th grade beach picnic when i was all aloney on my owny she came and stood next to me on the beach and offered me some of the corn cobs she had brought.  we stood there together looking out at the water.  giant me and little her.  munching our corn under the shade of a giant umbrella i held over us both.  

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my post in chinatown was due to be up on this coming monday. i had prepped the teacher returning from maternity leave, closed the cums, recorded grades, nearly finished my 5th roald dahl read aloud book, and so on and so forth.  i was as good as gone.  i even received a sweet farewell letter from the most unlikely source.  a shy quirky little character in my class with long black hair that falls over his eyes wrote to tell me he will miss my dramatic read aloud voice.  and that he's really sorry he won't get to see my halloween costume.  the way he presented me with his letter – sandwiched in between a pile of homework – and the way he snuck glances at me while i read it were so dear.   

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well…i found out this morning that a most unusual turn of events has caused a position to unexpectedly open at the school!!!  i am to stay in my 5th grade class (!!!) and the returning teacher will take the open class.  as i felt my advances would be untoward, i resisted the urge to give a bear hug to the administrative bearer of this welcome news.  crushing him seemed the wrong way to say thank you.  ya know?

just like that, forces in chinatown have conspired for a 3rd time to keep me right where i'm at.  

when i arrived back in january i was only supposed to stay until the end of march.  march turned into june and that was that, the end of my stint.   then august rolled around and i was unexpectedly placed here again to open a class in august.   and now…i'll be here until june of 2015.  how lucky am i?!

i can't wait to tell my loyal subjects next week that their supreme ruler of the queendom (as i like to refer to my position) is not actually leaving after all to start another queendom in another school far far away.

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by the way, picture day was today and i wasn't dressed for the part.  i had to apply emergency mascara and lip gloss.  (since i'll now be in the class photo!)  the lip gloss went over without a hitch, but the mascara wand slipped and ended up under my eye as i applied it without a mirror at my desk with every eye in the room on me.  no mirror anywhere in the class, but one kid had his iphone and he said, "miss moss if i don't get in trouble for having my phone on me you can borrow the camera and reverse it to use as a mirror."

to which i replied, "just this once the queen will turn a blind eye to this offense and you will be spared from the gallows. pass me the phone at once!"

and then, just like that, we went to have our pictures taken. 

this story is not complete without telling you that i had to borrow one of those little black plastic combs from the picture lady who insisted that SHE fix my hair and before i could say no, she had pushed me onto a stool, aimed her mister at my head, squirted and began to comb my hair.  i tried my best to look dignified on the little stool as a sea of school children swarmed around me.  i might have been successful.  but i doubt it.

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Comments

  1. Wonderfully delightful story! Mary Ann Moss, you are so special! Your current school knows how lucky they are to have you with them. Thank you, for making me smile once again.
    P. S. I love your journal work. So colorful and lively, just like the artist that creates it!

  2. How wonderful for your sweet class and you of course. You clearly love them and they, you. If only all teachers were so inspiring.

  3. It’s clear: they are never ever letting you go, they are just easing you into the idea. Congratulations, so happy for you.

  4. Aaah, such a cute story. Congratulations on your new/old post. Those kids are v.v. lucky to have someone like you.
    We LOVE Mumu!

  5. From one 5th grade Queen to another (I, too, rule a Queendom and have gotten a lot of mileage out of it) – lovely news…and don’t you love 5th grade? Best grade of all yes it is. Kids will be so excited — great news.

  7. Oh, it has been so quiet over there about your school that I thought for sure it was the end of this lovely assignment. I’ve been out of touch a bit too, so just read this with a lump in my throat and a tear pricking my eye. Oh, Joy! You are meant to be together. Lucky kids, lucky teacher!

  8. Adding another voice of congratulations to the din of well wishers! Such happy news for you and all the lives you touch with your creative spirit. And the photos went along nicely with the wonderful story. Thanks for sharing!

  9. What a fabulous post and what a perfectly marvelous outcome. Like everyone else, I am deeply happy for you.

  10. WOW! I’m still a newbie to this whole online social media blog stuff so it blows my mind what this must be like. I agree with Alllllll the well wishers…and you are a lucky lady to have all these cyber hugs!

  11. Happy day, sounds like they know your a good fit and a smart entertaining caring teacher. Touching story. So happy for you and the kids in your class.

  12. Congrats on your staying at your position. Those children don’t know how lucky they are to have you as a teacher. Hmm, you’ll probably be the teacher they remember from their school years. No mean feat!
    Aloha, Kate

  13. Lordy, lordy, Maryann! I am so delighted about this news! Your storytelling makes it even better. It’s clear to me why the children love you…and why the sweet senior is by your side. You deserve this recognition, this position, this love from the little people you inspire. We all know there is nothing so wonderful in a young person’s life as a teacher who leaves a lasting impression.
    Your happy paintings suited the occasion perfectly.

  14. What a beautiful gift for all! It must be karma! In my mind I can picture you with a big smile and a skirt of happy children around you. Congratulations to all! We should all use Mumu’s example. And your’s too Maryann. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. Happiness.

  18. How lovely for all of you!! What fun you will have knowing that your time is extended. Definitely a keeper

  19. When I saw your previous post’s heading — “who knows where I’ll end up” — I thought it would be about your job…..
    What great news that you get to stay in a place where you are appreciated. Where the children are able and eager to benefit from your “read aloud voice,” and your stories, and your unique world view.
    Where another adult goes out of her way to reach out to you, across the generations, and across the cultural divide.
    Where days are NOT burdened with the overwhelming need of children whose issues are so pressing and so numerous that “normal school life” is a dream beyond possibility……
    Hooray!!!!!!! So glad for the good news! So happy to think of you continuing to read Roald Dahl to your lucky students. I bet you know the Swallows and Amazons books? Fantasy of a different kind from Roald Dahl — a world in the early decades of the 20th Cen. where kids could sail off to a private island in the middle of an idyllic English lake and pretend to be pirates, etc….. And Freddie the Pig? One of my favorites from my childhood — I haven’t read him for a while, but perhaps also appropriate for imaginative (and high-vocabulary?) listening? Freddie really is a pig, and he and his animal friends detect mysteries.
    Hooray. So glad. 🙂

  20. What a great read!!!! And those lucky kids, if only all of our children could have teachers like you!

  21. Oh I do wish I had had a a teacher just like you…..It is great to hear about a teacher such as yourself, my neighbor is a teacher also and she is much like you….Lucky kids to have you both

  24. Undoubtedly you were Chinese in a prior life. That school admin knows you belong. Happy happy happy! When you have friends like Mumu you are set.

  25. OHHHH I AM SOOO DELIGHTED FOR YOU!!! How wonderful! I wish I was a fifth grader over again and had you for a teacher, as I had a rather mean teacher at that age and was shy and scared! I am so happy for you!!!

  26. I am doing the Happy Dance in your honor!!!!! Yay! This news is wonderful ! I may even have a margarita in your honor, of course. They are lucky to have you.

  29. Love LOVE this yummy piece of life story! It might even be my favorite one so far! Yay gor the kids, they’re quite lucky to have you, and Congratulations!
    Sheila

  31. I smiled big as I read this post! So happy for you and your kids. Mumu will be happy, too. Loved the bit about the mascara and the illegal cell phone. And as always, your journals are inspiring and fun to see.

  32. Miss Moss, Your brand of dignity is worn inside your heart and is, for my money, among the finest variety.

  33. I am one who believes in the Universe acting in a way that favors and teaches us. You have a fated relationship with this school in Chinatown where you are meant to learn something as well as teach your students.
    I loved this story: The quirky student with his letter, the makeup episode of picture get ready, the photographer wanting to style your hair for you! EEK, no one touches my hair expect me & my hair stylist. I’m sure the picture will be adorable.
    And darling Mumu! So glad she “adopted” you….she’s a very wise soul.

  35. Well, as some would say…you have landed in a pot of jam! (That’s good, by the way!) Congrats to you…another in a long line of them, I have to tell ya. You have many fans and supporters who look forward to your posts and the nifty pictures you post along with your great story telling skills.
    I had a friend in grad school whose philosophy was that her needs would be provided by the universe. And by that I mean everything from an interesting job placement to the more mundane things in life such as good parking places. On more than one occasion when a good parking space ON CAMPUS was a prize eagerly sought by many, she would come up with a primo space time after time. It didn’t have any correlation to when she got there either. One day I asked her how she did it and she said when she turned into the parking lot she just envisioned a space opening up that was what she wanted. And lo and behold, she usually got it! So creative and constructive visualization apparently works!

  36. Gosh Mary Ann I’m sitting here smiling and giggling and so HAPPY for you that you get to stay with a class of kids you’ve bonded with and won’t have to go to another school. And the photo op story had me rolling with glee, so many sweet and precious turns in your tale. Sometimes the universe has a way of working things out behind the scenes and this time it worked out in the very best way for you!!!! I’m sending YOU a giant bear hug cuz I am so happy and excited for you. Those kids of yours sound pretty dang adorable.

  37. Haven’t commented in awhile but have been lurking faithfully! So happy for you and I agree with the comments pointing out how fun your writing style is. Always entertaining! Your students are very lucky to have you!!

  38. I’m so glad for you that you get to stay in Chinatown! And I’m sure the kids will be especially grateful to have you til the end of the school year! Have a great weekend.

  39. I can certainly identify with your story…I normally work in a federal school in southern Arizona on the Indian reservation. Two weeks ago I was detailed to the school at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I was not prepared to be back in a 4th/5th combo…I pulled out scissors and sheets of paper and began to “make do with what you have”. The library was little help. At the end of the two weeks, I too was greeted with your detail has been extended for 2 more weeks…so now halfway through I am pulling out all my tricks and preparing for the last week armed with colored paper, scissors, multiplication foldables, and the water cycle. And my journal is loaded with pictures of the helicopter I had to ride to get to the bottom of the canyon,, this old body doesn’t hike…cheers for a job well done!

  40. Had to return to this post again this morning. It cheered and amused me with as much delight as the first time I read it.

  41. You tell such good stories – I wish I was in your 5th grade class 🙂 Miss Stewart of my 5th grade class had a big personality too, and I loved her. But no Roald Dahl. I may need to remedy that. It’s never too late.

  42. Bravo Miss Moss on your teaching job once again! And the story of the class photo is one of the funniest I have heard in a long time! I know those kids love you and they are lucky to have your talent and creative soul! Good Luck!

  43. Congrats on you teaching job! I bet you feel good to know you will be employed for the next 9 months. Best of luck to you. I bet the kids will be happy to see you back. I love the pages you shared today. So colorful and cheerful!

  45. I look forward to your posts and read them all with pleasure, but have only responded once before. However, this post made me so happy that I thought I MUST let you know. As a recently retired queen from her queendom, your story spoke to my heart. My favorite was when the queen graciously allowed the use of the cell phone! Oh, my, how those phones have complicated classrooms all over the world!
    Thank you, Mary Ann

  46. So happy for you, Mary Ann. Those kids are so lucky to have you and it sounds like some (or at least a few) know it.

  47. Love it all..the entire story. Forces in Chinatown indeed, but perhaps it has more to do with you being you?? I prefer to think so.
    I am so happy for you, and the kiddos too. Big bear hug!

  48. I have that “ache in my throat” as leaves fall in Wisconsin. Such good stuff you share. Thank you from another loyal subject.

  49. Yahoo! What a great post. made me smile and choked me up. Lucky you and those kids. I think there is something out there that is putting you in the best place possible. Congrats on the posting.

  50. :)))))) what can I say, I am a sucker for Win-Win stories! All are blessed (including we ether folks!)….
    Missy from the bayou

  54. sounds like a wonderful match for you, MUMU & the amazing children ……you have so much to offer to those children, enjoy the rest of the school year…. PS everyone should have a MUMU

  55. so glad you get to stay at your school. Your students will be surprised next week to see you. I always love reading your posts and looking at your wonderful journal pages.

  56. This made me teary , too…And I haven’t flown anywhere in some time……
    Such a wonderful story ….I just love happy endings, don’t you????
    Congratulations for all your hard work (sure wish I was in your class) AND for your re-appointment!!! YAAAAAY!!!
    Hugs for you, dear
    ~sass

  59. Oh I love this Mary Ann, and I am so happy for you.
    You deserve it, and they are so lucky to have you.
    I have been here quietly, through all the schools.
    I don’t usually comment, even though I read every post.
    You have so many followers and comments, but…
    this was too good not to let you know? Yea….

  62. I was howling with laughter by the end of this post. You are such a great story teller! And I want to hug the little guy who slipped you a note and then watch as you read it. Thanks for cheering me up this evening. I really needed that. xx

  63. Sounds like it’s all part of the Master Plan. Thank goodness for the little blessings to help us handle the rest of life’s chaos. Good for you!

  66. This was wonderful to read and great news! I bet those kids adore you for being you, even if some do so secretly ; )

  68. This post was a delightful introduction to your wonderful blog! Thank you! Will be stopping by often. Congratulations!

  69. Everything about this post makes me happy and even a little teary. It could be the jet lag but I don’t think so. Wonderful to read such joyous news. Congratulations and well done!

  71. Yay!! I am so happy to hear that you get to stay with your class!! tell everybody xie xie many times! ( means thank you – but I bet you knew that already!)

  73. Wonderful update! So glad you get to stay at your school (delightful story about Mumu). And I got a good chuckle regarding the school pic. 🙂

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