All My Children (well at least some of them)

Teaching children is an adventure. I am rarely bored- frustrated, impatient, exhausted, yes, but not bored. This week has been rough. My kindergartners have acted like little monsters, mimicking everything I say, unscrewing their pens, and throwing the pieces at each other. They also discovered a new trick; one child will lay his head on the desk as if distressed and the others will tell me that he is sad. The first time I believed them, but fortunately I am smarter than them and did not fall for it a second time. Quite an accomplishment really - outwitting kindergartners.
I have a first grader named Paul; he is probably 12 or 13, but in first grade because the kids are arranged by ability not age. He is a real piece of work. He can transform a fairly well-behaved group of kids into an unruly, disrespectful, and mocking mob. Paul is not loud but he talks constantly and draws the other kids into conversation. I tell him to stop and immediately afterwards starts talking again. He calls them names, pretends not to understand me, and carries himself with an I'm -too- cool-for-school- kind of attitude. The younger children are impressed and mimick him adoringly. Needless to say I am not so impressed. And he never does his homework. Ever.
But for kids like Paul there are kids like Sam and Ariel who make my job worthwhile. Sam is an adorable 7 year old full of boundless energy and enthusiasm. He loves the class and learning English. Unlike many of my students he is quite bright and catches on to new concepts quickly. Like any teacher, I work for those precious moments of illumination when the mental light bulb goes on. Sam becomes quite excited when this happens and that is a lot of fun to watch. Sometimes all his energy gets him in trouble because he has a very difficult time sitting still and staying quiet. The other day Sam told me he does not eat snakes. I was relieved to hear this :)
Ariel is the same age as Sam, but she is a girl so she can sit still much better. She is so tiny and sweet and eager to learn. In everything she is very intent and deliberate - opening her bag and removing books is quite a ceremony.
Sometimes my work feels so futile; I wonder if they care, if they understand anything I say, if they enjoy the class. I struggle to make them pay attention and do their homework. Am I doing any good? But then I remember those moments when they understand or those students who genuinly want to learn and I find fulfillment in those things. Often they are small, but I suppose that is the nature of the job.