That is exactly what we did.

Every Tuesday I go to our local elementary school and help first graders with their reading.  It is amazing to me how much progress they have made already.  When I started this year, it was mostly me reading to them.  Now, they read to me and I only have to help them from time to time with the really hard words and those nefarious and questionable diphthongs.  I suspect by May we’ll be reading Dostoevsky and Asimov.

Last Tuesday, the last one before Christmas break, we didn’t read, though.  Our teacher, the wonderful and awesome Joni, instead asked me to help make their art project.  I had so much fun.  My job was to help them dip their thumb in the paint, then make the Christmas tree shape on a piece of tile.  We did this with one thumb print on top, then a row of two below, a row of three below that, and then a row of four on the bottom.  Then we finished with a line of brown paint for the trunk.

Christmas trees with our thumbs.  How cool is that.

In the middle of the project we had a fire drill.  Do you know how long it has been since I’ve been in a fire drill?  It was very exciting.  The students and teachers did a great job.  It seemed like every last soul was out of the building in about 30 seconds or less.  They were super efficient.

Once everyone was accounted for, we went back in and finished our trees.

My Tuesday hour at the elementary school is a weekly reminder that I shouldn’t take myself so seriously, that everyone can make a difference, and that the future is in good hands.