Uncomfortable flattery

As you know, I am a 6th grade teacher. Those kids are not quite little kids and not yet teenagers....they're in a weird sort of space. One minute they worship the ground I walk on and the next they are rolling their eyes at me and trying to start an argument.  And I love them.

On Friday, one of my more challenging students was up to no good.  It was clear he was not writing what he was supposed to be and I'm learning to work with him.  He's a special ed. student so every day is a new challenge.  Anyways, I walked over and asked him what he was working on.  (Obviously, I knew what he wasn't working on).  It's a technique that's worked well with him to try to redirect him to the task at hand.  I was completely unprepared for the following interaction.

Me: So, "R" what are you working on right now?
Student: I don't know what to write so I was thinking.
Me: Hhmm, I saw you using your red pen so I thought maybe you were making some edits to your rough draft.
Student: Nope, I needed to think so I gave myself some stitches on my arm just like yours. Aren't they cool?
Me: (Staring in amazement at an almost identical hand drawn scar on his left arm in the same spot. Stitch dots and all).  Wow, I'm flattered but I'd rather see you use the pen to edit your writing and not mark where my bionic arm needed new batteries.
Student: Sure, Mrs. P... but aren't my scars cool looking?
Me: (Smiling and trying not to laugh). Yes, "R" I think scars of any kind are cool.

I had to talk a few deep breaths to not laugh or cry at that moment.  He is a funny young man but don't get me wrong, he's about 40% of my daily work.  The fact that he still wants to "be like me" just floored me. It tells me that as a teacher, I am making an impact on him.  No, it isn't really about the scar. It's about that he is relating to me, he just identified that first.

I often tell people that I don't want to be identified and known as a melanoma patient. This young man has no idea that I'm a melanoma warrior. And he won't.  But yet, my scars are uniquely mine and identifiable.  I am gratified as a teacher that as much as he and I have to work on our relationship daily, sometimes hourly, that he looks up to me.  I'm flattered that my scariest moments ever are reminding me and my students that scars are the remnants of our battles and not what we truly are.  Even if they don't know anything about my battle at all.