Me too!

"Ms. Gerber?"

"Hmmmm? Yes?"

"Ms. Gerber, I don't know if you saw me before, but when you were talking, I was giving you the me too sign. You know, when you were talking about how sometimes you get embarrassed doing diabetes stuff in front of new people. Or even in front of us! And you wish people weren't watching you, and you didn't have to be different. I was giving you the sign because, you know, when I fell down the steps last week and now I have these [editor's note: she is gesturing to several bloody scrapes and scabs] on my face. And sometimes I feel like people are looking at that and not even my eyes when I'm talking to them! So that's why I gave you the me too sign."

"Oh wow. I'm sorry to hear that you've been feeling that way! It's already bad enough you had to fall down the stairs, huh?"

"Yeah. I don't like it. But I thought about what you said. And it seems like it is making me a little braver. I mean, I'm not staying at home, like you said! And now if I ever have a friend who has scrapes, or even diabetes, or even something else, I'll know how she feels. And I'll always have candy for her just in case and I won't say 'ohhhh man you're so lucky!!'"

"Hmmmm, that sounds like a good plan. And I'm glad to hear you're prepared just in case."

Of course the conversation digressed from there....but man....aren't first graders magical?!? 

P.S. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm pretty proud of how I handled that teachable moment, too! Woot!