Ghosts -- by Jennifer Mitchell

Ghosts

Last week, in my third grade class we finished reading Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.  In the story the main character Opal (who is a child) becomes friends with an older lady named Gloria Dump.  In the story Gloria shows Opal a tree she has in her backyard.  On the tree she has empty beer, wine and whiskey bottles hanging.  They were hung as a reminder of the regrets she had of things in the past.  Though she wants to move forward with her life, she doesn’t want to repeat the past, so the tree is a gentle reminder to keep moving forward.   I feel like the mental image in this story is a good reminder that the “ghosts” we have had in the past don’t have to define our future.  Even though my students are young, I hope they carry that message with them throughout life. 

I am thankful that I don’t have much that “haunts” me in the past.  I lived out my childhood dream of becoming a teacher, a wife and a mother and that I am very thankful for.  However, if I could go back in time, I might have done a better job (of practicing what I “preach” to my students) of being a better friend and sticking up for any students that might not have always fit in when I was in school.  I can recall those students in elementary, middle school and high school that didn’t always fit in with others.  If I could go back and do it again, I would have tried to be more inclusive of students who seemed to have a more difficult time at school.  You can never go wrong being nice to others, as a kid sometimes you don’t see that in the moment though.  

Jennifer Mitchell 3rd grade teacher in the Kansas City area