Lessons Learned from Ms. Park: "Class Class? YES YES!"

This Tuesday I had the privilege of chaperoning for a Walt Disney Concert Hall field trip for Jessica's 4th grade class. WOOHOO! It was my first time doing this, so it was definitely such a fun experience. Thought I should write down my thoughts before I forget them.

Things I enjoyed: 
Talking to kids that were not sick and simply being kids. 
      Here is a snippet of a silly conversation...
      "What is the difference between soap opera, and opera? "
      "One is a drama and one is singing."
      "Who is the person opera then?"
      " You mean Oprah? LOLLL"
LA Philharmonics  
Ohmygoodness. Can I just say, my ears were dancing? We were in an awkward seating of sitting behind the orchestra, so we had the conductor facing us. That finesse of his leadership carried through one swift baton was AMAZING! Made me miss orchestra a little bit.

Things I learned: 
Each moment is what you make of it.
Jessica is the type of teacher that makes every moment an opportunity for growth. She hasn't lost her sensitivity and awareness. What I mean by that is, most teachers will ignore the repetitive but small moments of misbehaving. Instead, she takes the time to correct her kids. She knows to intervene when necessary, because she cares for them. That was impressive to me.
Life lessons
She is not only a teacher in subjects, but even more so in life lessons. Three points she taught were: be safe, be respectful, be responsible. If only every 4th grader could nail these three points, they would be set for success. She's perfectly firm, yet lighthearted. Structured and warm. I could see that she took the time to notice the intricacies of her students through the way she processes/responds to each of them so differently. It's innate and organic. I highly doubt she even knows her teacher qualities of excellence. Her students respect and trust her. I DO TOO.

Things observed
Children have so much potential
I wish every kid could have their minds molded by people like Jessica. Molded to be little humans that grow to be great humans.
School buses now have seatbelts      
WUT.