Today I’m grateful for a little Crayola therapy.

11.16.2023

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Today was a day. It was not necessarily a bad day – in fact, it was quite good. But we had a big event at school today, so our routine was off and emotions were high. By 2:30 this afternoon I was exhausted and overstimulated, and the kids were too.

We needed a low-key, stress-free ending to our day, so I had the kids do a turkey directed drawing for the last 20 minutes before we packed up. They did great, and a sense of calm came over the classroom as everyone designed their turkey feathers and colored to their little hearts’ content.

Sometimes during moments of independence like this, I will run around and do any number of tasks – check homework folders, put away supplies, write a note to a parent, etc. But today, I sat and colored too. I pulled up a chair at one of their tables, grabbed my crayons and entered into my Crayola coma of contentment right alongside the kids.

I needed this. We all did. And after the kids left, I may have just sat in my classroom alone for a few minutes, coloring my last couple of feathers and reveling in the calmness and ease of the moment.