Be kind to your eight-legged friends...

Three guesses as to what this canister could be used for after it's empty.
Actually, I suppose there are many uses.

But what I have done with one empty can is to teach a lesson in kindness to 30 young and impressionable little minds.

I'm working in a very old school building. It's more than 100 years old in places, although of course it's been upgraded and changed many times over the years.

One of the characteristics of a really old building (besides the dank, musty, secret smell) are the cracks and openings by which all sorts of insects and creepy crawlies come in to visit.

When I started working there in September of this past school year, there were several large spiders who wandered in during the first few weeks of school.

The kids would immediately run over and stomp on them.

I hate that.

Most spiders are harmless to humans and quite beneficial to have around.

So I started teaching the kids a little bit about spiders.
I bought this book at Goodwill.

It features several cut away views of different parts of the anatomy of a tarantula, and even if you're not a spider fan, it's an interesting book.

I made sure to let them know when they stepped on a spider that I was not happy.

I made an effort to be gentle about it and explain each time that 'the spider isn't harming anything, next time let me get something and I'll put it outside. Imagine how scared you'd be if a big monster just came running up to stomp on you and all you were doing was trying to find your lunch!'

I sometimes tried to make them laugh by saying something like, "Let's get this guy outside where he can have more room to build a website."

Ha.
Get it?
Website.
See what I did there?
Spider /technology.
Yeah.
I'm that good.

Some of the older kids didn't hide their eye-rolling. I am sure they think I may be a little nutty.

(The fact that they're probably right is irrelevant here, by the way.
And don't think I don't see some of YOU rolling your eyes, too.)

But slowly, through the next few months, the kids started catching on to the idea that we don't have to kill spiders just because they're in our space.

And it got to the point that when we got a new child in the program, the other kids were teaching the same lesson I had, usually using the same ideas I did, even if they didn't get all the words right.

I'd hear from across the room, "No! Don't kill it! It doesn't mean any harm. It's more afraid of you than you are of it. Spiders have to make a living too! Just tell Susan and she will catch it and put it outside."

And I'd go and get the play doh container and a piece of a manila folder and catch the (big, hairy, scary, seriously-they-make-my-skin-crawl-but-I-don't-show-it-in-front-of-the-kids) spider and let it go in the little garden outside our room.

Some of the kids shudder and more than a few of them squeal a bit, but they've watched with fascination as I've scooped up scores of spiders over the course of the school year and released them outdoors.

Most of the time, at least three kids want to come out and watch as I gently tip the cup over the edge of the railing and the spider makes its way out, usually making a strand of web on the way down.

And just so you know...I'm really not all that fond of spiders.
(If you click on that link, you'll also get the bonus of reading a comment left by my smart assed son. He gets that side of his character from his father.)

On Friday afternoon, I learned the lesson has come full circle, because when Logan's* mom came to get him, little brother Brian* in tow, there was a spider on the door handle when they were trying to leave.

When Brian gasped and shrieked "SPIDER!!!" Logan ran over to him and took him by the hand. He led him back about five steps from the door and bent down to gently explain to him, "It's okay, spiders are just trying to make a living. They won't hurt you, and he probably just wants to go build a website."

(Logan just turned seven in March, but I think he's gotten the point, don't you?)

I had already grabbed my spider catching kit and was headed for the door, and both boys watched with rapt attention as I nudged the spider into the cup and covered it with the paper, stepped outside and tipped it over the railing.

Mom watched with a bemused look on her face. Not critical, but clearly wondering why it was so important to me and to her son to just put the spider out.

So I tried to explain.

"I think it's really important for me to show the kids that even the smallest of lives has value. I feel like if they just go and stomp on one without even considering that it's a living creature, I've missed an opportunity to teach them something important."

I went on to explain that I'd learned this lesson from my soft hearted daughter, that I used to kill them instead of putting them outside.

I don't know if Logan's mom understood.
But Logan does.
And hopefully Brian does, too.

And maybe, just maybe, they will pass the lesson on to other people.