Y’all I’m not joking when I say kindergarten has kick my rear this week. I have aches, pains and extreme exhaustion like I have never experienced before. I feel as if I’ve been hit by a freight train. I have forgotten how physically, emotionally and spiritually demanding teaching young souls can be. I bend, squat, stand, sit, run, walk, dance, spin, lift and perform agility moves like you’ve never seen before. My guard is constantly up, chaos may break out at any given moment. It happens so fast and out of nowhere. I limit the amount of coffee and water I drink due to the consequences of going to the bathroom at an unplanned time could cause.
They are full of life, ready to learn, and think you are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They can also suck the life right out of you. Walking in line consists of walking into the person in front of you because they are looking backwards, at their feet, or anywhere other than in front of them. Or ending up on the playground because they forgot we were headed to lunch and not recess. Getting anywhere outside of the classroom takes and act of congress and we all know how that plays out.
There are boogers running down faces, kleenexes are optional, sticky fingers are inevitable and germ-x is in high demand. “Sit in your chair” means anything from roam around the room aimlessly, to lean back as far as you can on 2 legs, lay on the table or sit in your chair. You just never really know. Any open-ended question can lead to an array of statements that may or may not apply to the the actual question asked. “What was your favorite part of the story?” Is followed by “my dog died” and “When is recess?” Well….. Good talk!
I actually thought my brain was going to explode when I attempted to teach them how to fill in the bubble on their math sheets. It was equally excruciating for them and me. Sarcasm kicked in as I went into detail about how they would need this skills for the rest of their lives. There would be state tests, ACT’s, SAT’s……. the MCAT. Filling in the bubble perfectly is a must have skill to pass kindergarten. I got nothing, not one laugh, just blank stares. The blank stares is an essential tool for the kindergartener. “Can you tell me why I have sat you by yourself?” Blank stare. “Do you know why you are here?” Blank stare. “Did you punch your friend in the back?” Blank stare. These adorable little people have masters the benefit of pleading the 5th. They neither deny or confirm the actions in which they are being accused. Some will eventually break down in tears making you feel horrible, others maintain complete composure making you feel as if what you saw was all made up in your head.
My day is filled with hugs for those who miss their mom, have skinned knees, hurt feeling and those who want to tell me how much they love me. I get patted down at least 10 times a day by little hands that want to tell me something and feel that the best way to do that is patting me continuously until I respond. Someone always wants to hold my hand, touch my face or tell me their entire life story as we walk to our destination. I love their enthusiasm for life. Their simplicity is a breath of fresh air. I absolutely love what I do, as crazy as that sounds to most. I just hope there is a massage on a beach with nothing but the sound of waves in my near future!!!