Concern Counts

So this happened- the debate coach smsed to ask for class cancellation at ~11.30am as she was down with a bad stomach.

However, since I (a) only saw the message at ~12.20pm after 1 class and had another class at 12.45pm, plus (b) didn’t (still don’t! Time to find out...) know the protocol for instructor not turning up for enrichment sesssions, I decided to just handle it myself.

It turned out pretty well, with the students staying till ~3.45 doing presentations and giving+receiving AFL. Following that, we headed down so that they could phone their parents to inform them of early dismissal (thank God for the kind office staff who allowed them to go in 2 by 2 and use the phone!).

Why am I writing about this session? Because 1 thing happened at the very end that really touched me even though it was such an insignificant thing on the other person’s part.

1 student who was using my phone to help me timekeep came up to me at the end when we were waiting for the last few stragglers to call home, and said

“Miss Sandra, don’t sleep too late okay? It’s not healthy.”

Tbh, the first thing i thought of was “wow are my dark circles that obvious????” LOL but I asked-

“how do you know that I’m sleeping late?”

“Because just now when I was using your phone to timekeep I accidentally pressed your alarm (Bedtime for IPhone) and saw your sleep cycle.”

“LOL HAHAHHAA OOPS”

even though I was rather embarrassed, I also felt this very strange feeling of gratefulness and appreciation toward the student... I was touched.

After I reflected on it, I realized that she was simply responding to what she saw on my phone, and it didn’t require much effort on her part to say something like this, but it made my day.

And I feel that these things (how we respond to students) make and break their day (and more) too.

Showing concern counts- more than we know.

Above showing concern, though, we need to be wise about it as well. May God give wisdom to know what to say, in what manner to say, when.