Neela Girl

Every once in awhile a student comes along that just reaches into your heart, grabs on for dear life and won't let go. Neela is that student for me. I call her "Neela Girl" based on Anne of Green Gables (my favorite book.) when Aunt Josephine calls Anne "Anne Girl." It just seems to fit her.

I have known Neela for a few years before she entered my classroom. I had her older brother and sister and will have her younger sister in a few years. Her mom is my beauty magician and the whole family is pretty smashingly rockin! I took this picture of Neela on the Fourth of July when she was in kindergarten for my 365 picture project. It was one of my favorites and I even framed it!

So why is Neela my Neela Girl? Her attitude mostly. I don't know if I have ever seen her in a bad mood. She always smiles at me when she walks in my room, she is funny and she works hard.

She is participating in my Slice of Life project and I have enjoyed reading her honest slices and learning more about her.

On Monday, St. Patrick's Day, she walked in to get here sticker for SOL and exclaimed "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" and promptly flung homemade shamrock confetti. It made me smile. She did it again when she came to my reading group that afternoon, and that time, it made me smile even more because it was perfect timing.

Today, the first day of spring, she brings me a flower made out of her hand with a, "Happy first day of spring!" that was so catching you couldn't help but to smile.

Every time I pull out the read-aloud book, she gets so excited.

Such simple things, but they make such an impact on my day.

I love my Neela Girl and the kindred spirit that she is!

We were playing cards, I look over and she has the soda
box on her head. Crazy thing is, she rocked it! 

Perfect definition of *heart flutter* to the fullest!