La La Land is Underrated

A friend made this statement one day, I loved it so much I started a “not so famous quotes” page in the notes section of my phone and typed it in there.

Because she was right, la la land is underrated! Stay with me now and come see what I mean.

Stand back and watch a group of kids. Let’s say, for sake of argument, 8 and 9 year olds. Try to catch them when they are wrapping up a project or catching up on classwork. Here’s what you will probably see.

First of all the entire room will be moving, nary a one will be still. And that alone is an impressive sight, 20 to 23 little bodies just swaying and bopping and bending and hopping. Mouths will be moving, hands will be moving, heads will be moving, moving, moving, moving.

Someone will be bouncing in their seats to their own personal tune, they might even be humming that tune. If they are humming there is probably someone next to them trying to get their attention but that is not working because…you got it, they are too busy humming.

There will be the standers. They cannot sit, just cannot. They will be intently working and when they drop their writing implement (that’s the term we use in our room), they will first need to pull their legs out from the space in their chair, you know that little space between the chair back and the seat? And while in the midst of pulling their legs out they kind of “tip over”, no worries, they will just kind of figure that out.

Let’s not forget the pencil rollers, the “drop the clicky pen on the clicky end over and over” fans, the pencil sharpeners (the shavings never make it in the garbage can) so then we have the sweepers.

Smile upon the, “I have 52 markers” friends, and if they are smelly markers, you got it, they will be uncapping them and sniffing them over and over. And they will be generous with their treasures, sharing them with everyone. So a constant stream of children will be uncapping, recapping, uncapping, recapping.

Oops, someone lost an eraser, it was on the ground, but a friend has found it and is now making their way around the room with it, looking for the owner. Of course the owner of the eraser is crawling around looking for it at the same time but no worries, they will figure it out. Someone else has made a project and is getting the signatures of the whole class. Children are moving back to the closet area, in and out of the room for drinks and the bathroom, another friend is fetching a band-aid for their paper cut.

And they are all happy because they are in la la land! And you know what, life is good there! Just look at these children, they are happy, productive, and constructive. There is no anxiety, there are no tantrums, everyone is moving in tandem with the group and they are getting along.

Smile upon them and take a moment to compliment them. Let them know how nice it is to see them managing their time so well.

And never, ever, accuse someone of being in la la land as if it were a bad thing!