the marker situation

I give the children a coloring sheet with a big caterpillar, and I tell them to color it green because green is the color of the day. I tell them that whoever colors the caterpillar nicely and in green gets a sticker.

They understand my words, at least most of them do even though English is not their native language. After three months in the classroom together we can communicate pretty well.

Some of them immediately pull the green marker out of the case saying "Look, Stephanie, green!" "Well done, good job!" I say.

Others hesitate and then eventually pull out green.

Still others space out.

Then there are those who look into their marker box and pull out pink or orange or whatever strikes their fancy.

"Look, Stephanie," someone says as they point to student A whose marker color is some offensive shade of blue instead of the much more welcomed green.

"Well, I guess he won't get a sticker, then," I say shrugging it off and encouraging the other to go back to her own work.

Then, I think for a moment and I wonder to myself who I should be more proud of in that moment.

Should I be proud of the listener, the "good" student, the one who immediately went for green and began to focus and do exactly what I, the authority figure, told her to do?

Should I be pleased at her ability to "follow instructions?" She did not ask me why I said green when there are so many other colors with which to decorate a picture. Already at three years old she looks like a success story, an over-achiever, a teacher's pet.

Or should I be more proud of student A, who probably did listen to what I said and who probably saw me praising his fellow students with their green marker? Even though the authority figure said to use green he still chose what he wanted. Should I be proud of his desire to do it his own way and proud that he did not feel the need to follow the leader? Is he too a success story, or is his mind just filled with cartoons and action figures and blocks?

When I give him the green marker to use and he refuses by taking it from my hand and throwing it in the direction of the box, is he standing up for something or is he just spoiled? Or is three years old just too early to tell?