Don't you love Monday mornings? After a weekend apart, the classroom community is abuzz with greetings, news and the fresh start of a new week together. We hope our students come to us refreshed, rested and ready to learn, but that isn't always the case.

We recently had the good fortune to spend time in Beth Lawson's third grade classroom. Beth's extremely diverse group speaks various languages and has extensive differences in backgrounds and economic advantages. As they entered the room on a cloudy Monday morning, it became clear that many were tired, one was tearful, another was feeling ill and a few were excited and ready to go.

After settling their belongings and ordering lunches, their entry task was to take a 3x5 card and record a weekend celebration, worry, or both. In the few minutes that followed, Beth moved from table to table, quietly conversing with each child. We marveled at how quickly, but meaningfully she touched base with each student, reading their card and commenting on the game they played, movie they saw, or party they attended. One of her students had recorded a particular worry left over from the weekend. Beth leaned over and privately said, "How about if I take this worry from you today and put it on my shoulders? Then you can focus on having a great day?"

Each child had a voice. Their beloved teacher took time to listen, laugh, support, or briefly remove the worries of the weekend. It took less than ten minutes in all, but the results were amazing. The entire group was ready to face the day and a morning of productive and happy learning commenced. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Life is short but there is always time for courtesy." Beth would probably say, "The school day is short, and there are a multitude of standards to achieve, but there is always time for courtesy." And we believe her.

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