bound by crocs

today i am going to a birthday party. a superhero birthday party.

one of my students is turning four next week. his parents invited me to the party.

mrs. marietta-brown, my lovely & beautiful & intelligent & supportive wife, asked me if i was going to give him a present.

"of course."

are you going to give it to him at the party?

"of course."

what's going to happen when he tells the kids at school on tuesday about the present mr. brown gave him at his birthday party?

"oh."

on the one hand, i was invited to his party so i feel obligated (and i just want to) give him a present. on the other hand, even though the other students haven't invited me to their birthday parties, i've never given them birthday presents.

regardless of what i choose to do today, my gift is simple yet meaningful. earlier in the year, this student got off the bus and realized he had on the same type of shoes i had on. crocs, or as he so lovingly named them, "mr. brown shoes." later in the year, he brought in a charm for me to put on my crocs. a white and carolina blue football helmet (because his dad likes the tar heels, too).

at finish line they sell these charms in pairs. they have interlocking NCs. the perfect gift for him. now this student and i will share a bond for as long as his "mr. brown shoes" fit him.

selfishly, i hope it'll remind him of me, too. if a teacher says that don't have favorites, they're lying. it doesn't mean they don't like other students, it just means they might like one or two a little more. i'll always remember this student in a positive light. i hope he remembers me the same way, too.