On Saturday after Sir Henry Jump-ball Nephew’s basketball game, I hugged him and kissed him on the forehead. Then I told him this little tidbit of information:
I have a student who comes to hug me every morning.
He wraps both of his arms around me and rests his head just below my shoulder in a side hug.
He stays there while we talk.
He stays there if we say nothing.
He stays there until I kiss him on the forehead and tell him to have a good day.
Recently, I’ve started telling him that I love him.
I used to kiss him on top of his head but then his hair gel started getting on my face.
I moved the kiss to his forehead.
Evidently I did the right thing.
And evidently this ritual is very important to him.
Because it happens every day.
And it compels him to always do the right thing for me, even when he might choose the opposite with other teachers.
“Really?” Sir Henry responded.
“Really,” I said.
And I smiled.
I’m really grateful for the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights pioneers and workers who made the way and continue to make the way for people like me to have the opportunity to give side hugs and kisses and “I love you’s” to students of all races, ethnicities, and socio-economic levels. In fact, if I had to work only with like-kind, then my life would be woefully incomplete.
It is in diversity that unity most beautifully exists.
Now, friends, accept this kiss on your forehead and go have a great day.
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