I was walking the hallways when a student stopped me with an intriguing question.

“Mrs. Wisehart? What is your favorite day of the week?”

I thought about it for a few seconds and came up with a pretty typical answer.

“Well, I love handing out stickers, so Friday. It’s the beginning of the weekend!”

The student continued to tell me that my answer was pretty typical (of course) and boring (WHHHAATTT???) haha — and that his favorite day is Tuesday.

“Why Tuesday?”

He proceeded to tell me that no one likes Monday because it’s the beginning, and Wednesday is the middle, and Thursday is almost Friday. The weekend is just that – the weekend. So Tuesday doesn’t have anything. It’s just Tuesday.

“One of my teachers always played a special song on Tuesday, and she explained to me why. It made me think. That’s why I like Tuesday.”

There is so much to unpack in this “moment” with a student – but here are just a few of my thoughts as I reflect.

I love that I learn something new every day from kids. If we really listen to them, they have a lot to say, and their curiosity blows my mind. We need to listen to them more often.

Me = mind blown on the Tuesday bit. Makes sense. Tuesday is just that —-> Tuesday. But this kid wanted to make Tuesday special. Super cool.

And not only that — he wanted to tell me about it. I want to be a person kids want to tell stuff to. High school kids have their opinions about adults — and if we want them to talk to us, we’ve got to give them the open space to do so.

As hundreds of kids passed us in the hallway this morning, this student took the time to share his mind with me.

Man, I love my job.

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Carrie Wisehart is an Associate Principal at DeKalb High School in Waterloo, Indiana. Check out more of her posts on life as a 25 year educator!