The Bow

Each morning, as I walk up the hill to my school from the bus stop, I am greeted respectfully by several students standing in a staggared line. These boys and girls wear special badges and I assume that it is their duty to greet teachers. They bow deeply and offer a smile to each teacher who passes, either by car or on foot. Something must be said about the bow. I have come to really enjoy and appreciate this bow. It is a sign of respect given to each individual. The depth of the bow depends on whom a person is greeting. If he or she is older, the younger bows first and deeper. This morning, I especially appreciated this hello from the students and was reminded of my days of teaching in Minnesota. In Minnesota, I had one student who greeted me each morning with a hug. She would come up to my office to say good morning every day and we would briefly chat in Spanish (her native language) and English. This morning, I remembered this former student and felt that her hug was translated into Korean as I hiked up that hill. The day was a long one. I spent most of it testing part of the 1/3 of the 920 students who attend my school. I really needed all the "hug" this morning!