5th grade hygiene class

Every year I teach a 5th grade hygiene class.

It is my opportunity to speak with my students

who are moving on to middle school.

I speak of puberty and hygiene but I also

speak of bullying and teasing.

Each year I try and leave them with something to

remember me by, some life lesson that they

will take with them the rest of their lives.

However, this years class is special to me.

These children were the kindergartners when

I started my job at TES.

On Friday I talk to my girls.

Girls are so much more mature than boys at this age.

I tell them my story of teasing and why I don't tolerate it:

WHEN I WAS YOUNG I WAS TEASED.

I'LL BET THIS SURPRISES MOST OF YOU,

BUT I WAS. MY PEERS DID NOT KNOW

I HAD CANCER, THEY DIDN'T KNOW I WAS

FIGHTING TO LIVE, ALL THEY KNEW WAS

THAT I WAS A BALD SECOND GRADER WITH

BROWN TEETH. THEY TEASED ME FOR THIS

AND WHEN MY HAIR GREW BACK IT WAS

EXTREMELY CURLY SO THEY TEASED ME FOR THAT.

I WAS CALLED BIRD NEST, UGLY, 4-EYES.

I HAD A DECISION TO MAKE WAY BACK THEN.

I COULD CRY OR FIGHT BACK ALLOWING THIS

TEASING TO CONTINUE OR I COULD LAUGH WITH THEM.

I LEARNED AT A YOUNG AGE THAT TO LAUGH

AND NOT LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR WEAKNESSES

WAS THE WAY TO GO WHEN PEOPLE ARE MEAN.

SO I LAUGHED, I MADE JOKES OF MYSELF.

I LAUGHED UNTIL I GOT HOME FROM SCHOOL.

THEN I CRIED...

ONE DAY MY DADDY SAW ME CRYING.

I WAS SPOILED SO WHOEVER MADE ME CRY

MAY BE IN TROUBLE WITH MY DADDY.

I TOLD DADDY OF ALL THE NAMES

THE KIDS WERE CALLING ME AND HOW

I WASN'T GOING TO LET THEM SEE HOW MUCH

IT HURT ME AND MY DADDY RIGHT THEN

GAVE ME THE BEST GIFT EVER,

HE GAVE ME THE GIFT OF SELF-ESTEEM.

HOW DID HE DO IT?

HE SIMPLY TOLD ME:

"LILLY, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE WORLD

SAYS OR THINKS ABOUT YOU, IT ONLY MATTERS

THAT WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THIS

DOOR THAT YOU ARE LOVED."

I REMEMBER THIS DAY LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.

HAVE CARRIED IT WITH ME THROUGH MY WHOLE LIFE

AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ENOUGH TO GET

ME WHERE I AM TODAY.

NOT EVERYONE HAS A DADDY OR SOMEONE

THEY LOVE TO GIVE THEM THE GIFT OF

SELF-ESTEEM SO DON'T TAKE IT AWAY

FROM THEM. BE KIND TO YOUR PEERS.

ONE DAY THEY MAY NOT BE THERE.

I tell this to my 5th graders every year.

I want to make the problem of teasing personal to them.

I want them to think of their school nurse before

they bully or tease.

I talked earlier about the special bond I have with

this 5th grade class. It is probably why I get the

reaction this year as I never have before.

I am teary-eyed as I look at my audience of

48 girls to see some of them crying.

After I am done, the majority of them

come to hug me and tell me how much

they are going to miss me.

I know I say it all the time,

but I love this job!