A couple of weeks ago I told the story about my friend who came in, upset, wanting to see his mother...now! I blogged about giving kids some control and mentioned that I put out a timer so he could see how long it was until his mom came back.
He missed last week. He came to the door this week, walked in (without his mom coming in with him), looked around and began talking to me. Everyone seemed surprised and his parents left pretty quickly. He walked over to the board where I had placed the timer before.
"Where's the timer?" he asked.
"It's in the drawer," I said. "Do I need to get it?"
"Yes," he said.
I got it out, set it, and placed it on the board. He glanced at it once or twice (early on) and then worked happily until it was time to leave.
I think I have some good instincts. Maybe I'm an okay teacher after all.
Revelation #2
I'm warming to the new group. I enjoy them. They are different from the group before. We had a group of boys that worked and played throughout the session but were so quiet and focused. The boys we had last year were a lot of fun but much louder in their play. That's not worse or better. Just different. The girls we have this year are much more active and loud. Last year most of our girls were silent.
It's always important to be ready to adjust expectations and be flexible to change what's happening in the room. (I knew this. Just a reminder for me.)
Revelation #3
Or again, a reminder. I enjoy teaching early childhood. It's challenging. It's fun. It takes work and energy and thought.
And it's a very fulfilling way to spend your time. It's going to be a great year.
Are you having new insights? Are you being reminded of things you already knew? Are you having fun?
