Sunday, March 4, 2012

Holding Hands

When my husband and I first met we held hands a lot.  When my daughter came along we both held her hands, with her in the middle of the two of us.  I still enjoy those moments when we're walking side by side and he slips his hand in mine.  So subtly, so gently, and so unexpectedly.

When my daughter was learning to walk we held her hands to support those first steps.  Later, we would hold her hands to reassure her and ourselves that she was safe.  Even though she's a teenager, we often hold hands in the car.  She IS after all, my Best Big Girl.  Believe me, you won't see this happen in public.  Just between you and me, I don't think she wants anyone to know

When I'm walking with my students in the hallway, a little hand often slips in mine.  This is usually the little one in the front of the line.  Then another decides they want in on the action, and sometimes another.  Once I had a whole group trying to hold my hand at one time.

When my first graders are learning to read, I hold their hands through the process and then I gently let go.  I let go to allow them to try the strategies on their own.  When I read aloud to my students, I'm holding their hands as I model what fluent reading sounds like.  Holding their hands through the reading process is not a crutch, it's a support.

When my students are working on their writing, they hold the hands of other writers through the mentor texts that we use to inspire our writing.  The writers of these texts model organizational choices, inspire ideas, and demonstrate craft moves that we attempt in our own writing.  These writers hold our hands through their books.  It's not a crutch, it's a support. 

Holding hands is such an important gesture.  It provides a scaffold for life and learning.  It's not a crutch, It's a support.  It's often done subtly, gently, and unexpectedly.  How many hands did you hold today?

15 comments:

  1. This is lovely...I would like to share with
    the staff at my school.

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    1. Wanda, thank you for the compliment and commenting on my slice. Please share away! Thanks again.

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  3. Valerie,
    I loved this line, "It provides a scaffold for life and learning. It's not a crutch, It's a support." Important to remember.
    Cathy
    (oops sorry, but I realized I had a typing error above)

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    1. Cathy, thank you for commenting on my slice. I woke up this morning with this story and I haven't done that in a long time. So glad to be on this journey.

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  4. I can relate to holding hands with hubby, daughters, and students, and I like how you move on to reading and writing using holding hand as a metaphor. Beautifully written.

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    1. Terje, thanks so much for your warm comments. I love this journey of sharing a slice of life. Thanks again!

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  5. Love this image! Also, it put the tune to "I want to hold your hand" in my head. Nice!

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    1. Kellylou, thanks for commenting on my slice. I love that song, "I want to hold your hand." It brings back memories too.

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  6. I love this metaphor of holding hands. So perfect for describing both the scaffolding that we do as teachers and the caring we do as human beings. Your writing is beautiful, Valerie. Thanks so much for such a lovely slice.

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    1. Mardie, thanks so much for the wonderful comment. I'm enjoying the Slice of Life challenge and it really is a journey.

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  7. The idea of holding hands with your husband, your sweet daughter, your precious students, and with authors is beautiful. I love the way you describe the different hand holding and how each of them are meaningful and special.

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    1. Stacey, thanks for commenting on my slice. The different kinds of hand holding really are meaningful and special, but easy to take for granted unless we take a moment to enjoy them.

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  8. I love the way you write. This is so sweet and refreshing! Thank you for sharing this beautiful slice of your life.

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    1. Kathy, thanks for commenting on my slice. This post was on my mind when I got out of bed this morning. The Slice Of Life Story Challenge is quite a journey and it's only day 4!

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