leave it to
8-year-olds to unintentionally
prompt further healing...

I have 2 students with your name
in my class this year.

initial defiant and
attention-seeking behaviour
from one of them,
has now turned into fondness
after she has been met
time and time again
with fairness and care
in my classroom.

I started shortening her name to
'Em'
and found myself frozen the other day -
standing in front of my class,
mid-sentence -
as I realised that this...