Thanksgiving Break is a time to unwind. It is a time to catch your breath before the mad dash towards the end of the semester. In all my years at Clarion, I have never been more excited for a break in all my life. My pre-K block, while one of the most incredible experiences of my life, has been exhausting. At this point, I only have family and home on my mind. When I come back from break, I will already be through the Monday of my last week at my placement. Here are 5 things I can say about my time in kindergarten.
1. Five-year-olds are a lot smarter than people give them credit for.
During this particular block, my partner and I were expected to take the project approach to our lessons. Essentially, whatever the children wanted to learn about, we taught them about that topic. Our group wanted to learn about ambulances. Keep in mind, literally everything we do during this block is driven by our children's interest. We answer one of their wonderings every day. That means we can get into some pretty complicated concepts like what are vitals and how do we check them. These students actually retained everything and they used it in their play time, like fluently and effortlessly.
2. Kindergartens are literal to a hilarious fault.
My first day at the placement, the instructions given were, "Make sure to use only one capital letter in your name." One little boy called me over all excited saying, "LOOK! I did it!!" He capitalized one letter in his name, the last letter. As much as I wanted to correct him, technically he was right. Well played, sir.
3. Ambulances can encompass a lot more than you think.
Ever wanted to learn about the symbol on the side of the vehicles? What about what hospitals can handle what emergency? Why is ambulance spelled backward? How does a siren work? You may already know this, but just watch a kindergarten's face when you make a backward word appear forward by just looking in a mirror.
4. Kindergartners are some of the most rambunctious children to teach.
Imagine going to a college party and being the only sober person there. Now, try gathering 20 of those people together in one area to find out how to make their sirens. Keep track of how many people can't sit still, go to the bathroom, leave the group to use the bathroom, say they need a drink, can't keep their hands to themselves, and how many need help tying their shoes. Are you left with 1 person listening before you have to get everyone's attention for the 10th time in about 3 seconds? Welcome to kindergarten.
5. Kindergartners are some of the hardest children to say goodbye to.
After all the times I have had to tell children to sit still, pay attention, and being amazed at how many times you have to remind them not to put something in their mouths, you would think that I would be willing to run out of that room on December 2nd, fall to the ground, and praise the good Lord Jesus that I am done. But, let me give you another scenario. Imagine you are in charge of educating people on something they are extremely excited to learn about the topic. Every time they see you, they greet you with a smile and cheery hello. Even though hugs have never been your thing, they still give them to you every day. Imagine they actually learned what you have taught them. Picture that every lesson has brought more brightness to their faces than Christmas lights. You try and leave them without any form of hesitation. The truth is that I overheard my block partner saying that he honestly will miss every single one of them. At the time I didn't think I would have because they are just students. Much like any group of students, they come in, get educated, and then they leave to the next group. I can honestly say that I am going to miss every single one of these students, and more than just a little bit.
Cheers to the last week of pre-K block.
