It’s the Little Things

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“Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused.” – Tommy Lee Jones

When I met with Mr. D’s lead preschool teacher for a parent-teacher conference, I asked a general question at the end, “What else can I do to be of help to you?” Her reply was interesting. She said, “Nothing. You already turn on the bathroom light.”

She was referring to an incident from several weeks before. Early in the morning when there is only one teacher in the classroom, they can’t leave the class to go with a child to the bathroom. The teacher stands in the door to the classroom so they can both see the kids in the classroom and the bathroom, but the child has to cross the five or six feet to go to the bathroom themselves.

One day, I was dropping Mr. D off and the teacher was encouraging a child that needed to use the bathroom. His body was antsy but his face was fearful. It didn’t take much to connect the dots that the teacher couldn’t reach the light switch from her position in the doorway and the child was reluctant to walk into a dark bathroom.

So I asked, “Can I turn on the light?”

When she alluded to this incident at our conference, a light came on for me. I drew the only conclusion that makes sense. It doesn’t take much to help.

For great lessons I learned from another teacher in our lives, please check out my Heart of the Matter post: Lessons From An Artist

53 thoughts on “It’s the Little Things”

    1. Right! And it’s so fun to hear that affirmation so we can remember to keep doing them! Thank you, Fred! I appreciate all your encouragement – every time you do it! 🙂

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  2. My takeaway: some times we just need to turn on the light, but we make a huge difference. A light is nothing for an adult, for a scared kid, it’s huge. Go ahead and wear your superhero outfit Wynne! You deserve the applause! 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️😎

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  3. I imagine you as someone who turns on a light for others, literally and figuratively. Its heartwarming to read this conversation between you and Mr D’s teacher because it reminds me that there are good people out there and that the small gestures of kindness do make a big difference.

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    2. This is what I wanted to say but you said it better, Ab and Wynne 🙏💕 This post made me tear up. It doesn’t take much for us to make a little boy’s world a less scary place while simultaneously making a hard-working teacher’s world just a wee bit easier. Imagine if every person thought this way, every day. As the song goes, what a wonderful world it would be…

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  4. I’m not surprised to read this! It fits with who you are in every sense! As others have mentioned, you turn on the figurative light for so many!

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  10. We sometimes forget, Wynne, the impact of small acts. In the scheme of things, they can add up to a lot. If everyone could do one small thing each day to help another then the world would move in a much different direction.

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  11. I don’t recall ever hearing a parent offer help during a visit of all the parents to be introduced to the new teacher. While I know some do, you reach out in a more commendable way than I ever did.

    As to the light coming on (metaphorically speaking), I suspect we adults , (including the teachers) are sometimes late to flip our internal switch. You are a fine model in the Department of Turning on the Light. Let’s make you the Vice President of the DTL by acclamation! I am sure your readers will agree, Wynne!

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    1. What an incredibly lovely comment, Dr. Stein! I am so grateful for these wonderful teachers – they do glitter projects and make slime with these kids among many, many other things that make sure a difference!

      And as an electrical engineer by education, I take special pride in your proclamation to be VP of DTL. 🙂

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  13. I agree with all the lovely comments, Wynne. The ‘turning on the lights’, metaphorically is all you! And Dr. Stein’s thought that we should provide a title — VP of DTL — I’m on board! 🥰

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  14. I also agree with the comments of the others. Turning on a light for someone else, literally but especially figuratively, is something we should aim to make part of our nature. It is indeed most often the small gestures that make the difference.

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  20. What a touching story, Wynne. It makes me wonder how many of those tiny gestures of kindness that we don’t think of are long-remembered those impacted. As others have mentioned, your action and the teacher’s appreciation don’t shock me in the least. You just radiate kindness everywhere you go!

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      1. So true! In fact, I had forgotten about the farmer’s market. I suppose it’s a good sign if acting with kindness is so habitual that we don’t even recognize the potential impact.

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