First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school for the high school where I work as a library assistant (though I am typically the only faculty member in the library). I frankly expected the worst, as I suppose you really should for these sorts of things, but it turned out to be a stellar day. Students were much more cordial to me than they had been all last school year, I suspect because this is the start of my second year here, so they know me a little better than they had, and many smiled at me as they walked past the counter where I spend my days. But that's not what made it a great day. What was truly fantastic were a couple of the interactions I had with specific students.
One young student, maybe a 7th or 8th grader, shyly walked into the library during lunch. He seemed nervous to be here, and I got that vibe that he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to come in. So I waved at him and smiled and welcomed him in. I started a conversation about reading, asking whether he liked reading (he does) and what his favorite genre is (fantasy). His bashfulness dissipated almost immediately. He introduced himself as Jacob, and pulled out the book he's currently reading and launched into a fairly detailed evaluation of the book (which was surprisingly articulate and well constructed for his age) and then directly into a story he has been working on for, in his words "Like, my whole life". I casually asked if he wanted to be an author someday, and he turned to me and said very reverently, "It is my big dream". "That's my big dream, too." I told him. We talked all through lunch, sharing our favorite books and telling each other our ideas for future books. It was amazing to have such a real conversation with someone so much younger than I. I've always found it difficult to really connect to what a lot of 7th graders care about, but I feel like I've found a kindred spirit in Jacob. I invited to come back anytime and tell me more about his book and maybe even let me read some, and he promised that he would. I am excited to see Jacob grow up throughout the year, and hope that I get to see him reach 18 or 19. I am fascinated by the way people grow, change, and develop throughout high school  and feel fairly certain that he'll go far.
Before he left for class, I told him that I hoped to read his book someday. I really meant that.