“Hey, you’re that snoop!”
“Snooper”
“You’re that photographer guy that snoops!”
That was the greeting I received from Angela Carothers first graders at Cranberry Elementary School Wednesday afternoon as reporter Sally Bell and I were working on a story together.
The story centers around kindness towards one another. (Stay with me!)
Carothers class started a mini-movement in the school with their kindness with words scrolled on Post-It sticky notes and put on lockers and desks of their classmates, teachers and others all around the school. Things like “I like how you are nice and kind,” or “You help me have a good day.”
When we entered the classroom it became obvious we were a huge distraction. The students recognized me from other events and stories and some saw me a few days earlier around the school trying to make pictures of the Post-It notes all around the hallways.
“You’re a snooper!” rang out like a battle cry as these first graders no longer focused on their teacher but the photographer who just entered the room. I tried to get them to focus on school but it was near the end of their class and they seemed very consumed by calling the funny looking guy with the cameras “snoopy” and asking me why I have two cameras.
The teacher then told the kids if they wanted to write a sticky note before their art class they could. A couple seconds later I felt a tap on my shoulder!
I looked down and much to my surprise I was post-it-ed!
“I like how you snoop!”
Then all of a sudden laughter grew louder and ….
I began to be decorated like a Christmas tree.
“I like your smiel” (I like your smile)
“Are you a Grampa?” (Sally Bell’s personal favorite!)
“I like snooping arnd los” (I like snooping around also)
“You are really nice!”
“I like how you snoop, from Bailey to Snoopie”
I gotta tell you, this here grumpy old grandpa looking photographer was surely given a gift today by a group of 6-ish year old children who he doesn’t really even know. What a great thing these future ambassadors for peace and advocators for empathy and human kindness are doing in a small section of a school system in northwest Pennsylvania. And including me in this kindness was … well just the thing to brighten my day.
I love my job.
Thank you Mrs. Carother’s first grade class and student aide Mrs. Burkhart and Councilor Mrs. Kosker for letting us in to your world of positivity and allowing us to spread it out to our readers.
Now if we could get Congress to try this!
Photos of me getting peppered with love were taken by Julie Kosker.
