In the grand scheme of life, do you even remember half the things you’ve learned in high school? Probably not.
Maybe that’s why Cheney, Washington Enligsh teacher Monte Syrie let one of his students take a snooze during his class.
There is a lot of pressure on students these days and sometimes they just need some compassion and kindness.
Syrie shared the story about this student on Twitter where it ended up going viral. His Tweet was shared more than 4,400 times.
He was met with lots of praise for his kindness.
“Meg fell asleep in class yesterday. I let her. I didn’t take it personally. She has zero-hour math, farm-girl chores, state-qualifying 4X400 fatigue, adolescent angst, and various other things to deal with. My class is only a part of her life, not her life. No, she did not use her time wisely in class yesterday,” he tweeted.
She did, however, take it upon herself to get her essay into her teacher when she could without her teacher asking.
Syrie says that giving kids a little leeway sometimes can go a long way.
“I know we all somewhat subscribe to this notion that there’s a right way of doing things and letting kids sleep in class falls outside the boundaries,” he says. “I get it, and I’m not suggesting that we make it a permanent part of repertoire /routine, but I am suggesting that we sometimes trust our instincts, even if it goes against the grain, maybe especially if it goes against the grain, for I am not always convinced the grain best considers kids.”
If Meg was in another class, she may have gotten a zero for not getting her essay in on time. But would that have really have helped her in the long run?
Would she have learned anything?
Do we want to be teaching our kids that no mercy should be shown? That’s not what Syrie wanted to show his student.
“And in my room, there are lots of things I CAN do. I can’t control the world outside. I can’t offer Meg a math class later in the day. I cannot feed her horses (many horses) in the morning or evening. I cannot run 6 race-pace 300’s for her. I cannot spirit away her teen trouble,” he explains.
“But I can give her a break. She was not being rude or disrespectful yesterday when she nodded off. She was tired. So I gave her a break. I can do that. And I want to believe, I have to believe–else my life is a lie, that it will come back in the end. And it did.”
Meg not only got her essay in but she was proud of herself instead of ashamed.
She told her teacher so when she saw him at the grocery store at 6:45 a.m.
That was after she’d been up since 5 a.m. doing chores. So many applauded Syrie for his kind gesture and act of mercy.
“How nice to know that kindness and empathy is still around. The power of kindness and to empathize is stronger than the power to punish. I am sure you are a hero among your students,” said one person on Twitter.
And if you check out his Twitter account you’ll know that he surely is.
“I know firsthand how over-full and hectic their lives are,” Syre told Bored Panda.
You can see Syrie’s original Tweet below.
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Meg fell asleep in class yesterday. I let her. I didn't take it personally. She has zero-hour math, farm-girl chores, state-qualifying 4X400 fatigue, adolescent angst, and various other things to deal with. My class is only a part of her life, not her life. No, she did not use
— Monte Syrie (@MonteSyrie) May 16, 2018
