I always knew there was a greater meaning.

MARKERS. My most recent inventory includes: thin tip, fine line, scented, mini-stampers, spider writers, metallic, window writers and fabric markers. I love them – there are so many kinds for so many occasions. Most versatile craft supply? YES, INDEED!

Some people believe my excitement for markers is….SILLY. I build up these glorious tools of communication (haha) in a dramatic, exaggerated way and I truly think that a CRAYOLA purchase can brighten your life. In fact, I happened to PROVE this magical truth the other day. Let me share my story with you :)

Two days ago we had our school Iftar. Iftar (as I may have already told you) is the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast. Because of the Iftar in the evening, one of my cleaning ladies brought her little girl to school for the day. I wasn’t exactly sure why the little girl was there all morning, but by lunch I could see that sitting in the hallway with no toys was starting to get boring. And so, I gave her a box of markers and some blank paper as a gift. Well – if the rest of the world reacted to a box of markers in a similar way………we would have WORLD PEACE by now. Her eyes lit up in a “Christmas morning” way, as she whispered “shokran” with a smile. (Shokran means thank you in Arabic). It was a great moment and my eyes started to tear up as I walked back into my room.

Half an hour later, while working away on my prep, I heard a tiny knock on my door. It was the little girl. She walked in shyly and gave me the world’s greatest hug, along with two very pretty pictures. One said “My name is Salma. I love you” and the other was decorated with flowers of all colours. She definitely took advantage of the 24 colours available (that a girl!) and I posted both pieces of artwork in my office as she stood and watched. The power of markers. The power of crafts. The greatest conversations really do occur with an absence of words :)

My day felt complete. I made someone else feel special. CHECK. :)

Unfortunately, sometimes there really is a bad guy in every story. When my period 4 students came into class, they told me that I had to write a note for the cleaning lady. A note? For what?! I went into the hall and listened as one of my students translated the message from the cleaning lady. (Insert sad music here). Apparently, the security guards accused her of STEALING the markers that I had given to Salma. I had to write the guards a note saying that the markers were a gift in order for her to leave campus. WHAT?! I thought she was kidding. And then I remembered something that I disliked very much about my school. At the end of every school day, Egyptian staff are searched because they are………..Egyptian? Canadian staff –we walk right through without a single question or accusation. Life isn’t fair.

I felt so angry. The Egyptian staff are paid very little and treated accordingly. I don’t imagine Salma went to school like other students and I’m not sure whether she owned her own box of markers or not. If I did give Salma her very first box of markers, why did the memory have to be tainted with an accusation of theft? None of it was fair, yet I did my best to resolve the issue. I wrote the note to the security guards and I gave both Salma and her mom a hug. My students translated my apologies and reassurance to them and I let them know that I would see them at dinner.

At Iftar, Salma ran up to me and gave me a hug BETTER than the world’s greatest hug! At that point I knew. In a game of “rock/paper/scissors”, markers beat bad guys. Or maybe it is kindness that beats the bad guys. Either way, markers made it happen :)