Well, it’s been a busy month. Watching these kids, and those kids; sleeping (if I can………..DAMN ALLERGIES); finding time to see my friends, and then just trying to find time to relax. I took my dad to the ER Friday morning. I was there for about 2 ½ hours during which I became familiarized with the latest Disney has to offer for little kids in the morning. He is alright, he has kidney stones so he is feeling the pain but luckily has some medicinal remedies to help him with that. The unsettling part is, while doing some research on kidney stones I found that #1: they are hereditary, and #2: If you have had one, you are likely to get one about every 5 years! CRAP!!!! So after reading that its lots of water (as suggested) and definitely watching chocolate (due to its high oxalate content) and everything else I eat—not so much salt, etc. I really don’t want to go through that again. So anyway, that has been the major hiccup this month, other then have a breakdown about the GRE but I kind of expected that to happen. Diana had called and I started talking to her about my worries and anxiety and when I hung up with her I just cried for about 30 minutes. But I got over it and went back to studying what I could, how I could and left it at that.
So onto the reason for the title of this blog. As many know I work at FKO here in Abilene. I am considered a teacher but never really thought of myself as one; I just considered myself a childcare provider; you know? Anyway, recently, certain events have made me realize that I am a teacher. I find that very very ironic. Like God is playing a game with me. My sister was always the teacher—when we were growing up she was Mrs. Scott (Lynn Scott at times) and I was always Marie Dowley (why that last name… I haven’t a clue) the student. So I wasn’t surprised when that’s what she ended up becoming; a teacher. When I got older, I wasn’t a huge fan of kids, mostly because the ones I came in contact with were usually brats and misbehaved so much I couldn’t see myself ever having one. Then the time came when I really was in desperate need of a job and what door opens? Well I taught a Sunday School Class for about 1 year. While I taught that SS class I was approached about being a floater for FKO and just coming when someone was out. And long story short… I am now a full time teacher who, in the whole time I have been there which is about 1 ½ years I have only missed teaching 1 day (when I had strep throat). And though, like anyone else, I come home and complain about how tired I was chasing 4-6 kids around, I still haven’t gotten tired of it (that is not to say I don’t relish my vacations :) ).
So my room is connected to another room where the 4-5 year old teacher Shannon works. We have different teaching styles. She is very earthy and calm and everyone’s friend. Which I guess it’s a good thing to have someone to even me out, since our classes combine most of the time. I, on the other hand, am a gentle person with a firm hand. I believe when it is circle time that we sit in a circle and do our best to pay attention (for as long as they can) and try to learn. I believe that nap time doesn’t necessarily mean you have to nap, but it is quiet time and we need to try and lay still. Lunch time, of course, is for conversing with your friends, but we eat sitting down, we learn please and thank you. Now i'm not saying that the other teacher is exact opposite of this, this is just what I believe when I teach. So during circle time we review Letters, Colors and Number. I do 1-10 on numbers, and 10 letters at a time (10 a month then I will combine them all). I’ve been doing this since September but just recently only started doing 10 at a time (I was loosing their focus to easily). Anyway, so I did this all through January and wasn’t seeing the results I thought I would, which made me question if I was really teaching my kids anything or if I needed to re-evaluate the way I taught. So on the 31st I decided to mix up the cards... not go in order... and see how my kids did. Well……. They did great. They knew them and when I was surprised and told them how proud I was I got the classic eye roll from Kate (I always thought she was too young to already have the eye roll down but its funny none the less) and the rest smiled real big and said WE’RE SILLY!!
Another example: At the beginning of the school year we did a torn paper collage of a color (can’t remember which). My kids couldn’t grasp the concept at all. And, of course, not being a certified teacher and knowing what the level of knowledge these kids are supposed to know at this age, I was concerned that they didn’t know how to tear paper and put it on glue. Well last Thursday we tried this again, with yellow construction paper and the Letter Y. It was like they’ve known how to do this since birth. No problems at all, and they had so much fun doing it. They filled up the Y like it was nothing and then asked to go play. It was just such an achievement. My heart was full!
Another thing that has made me proud lately is that I have been getting compliments on my kids’ behavior. I have the other teachers coming by during nap time saying, “They are so quiet. They are being so good!” And I would say, “I know, they know its nap time so they are being real good!” Almost every day I get those compliments. Shannon’s kids, on the other hand, are a bit rowdy. Now I let my kids have their spirals and crayons and they can color during nap time, but Shannon lets them get up and down for books, or to read with each other. So again i'm not saying this is awful at all, but then it gets rowdy when they do this. It’s weird when I have my kids coming up to me saying, “They are being loud, Teacher April. They aren’t supposed to be doing that, right?” And I would say, “Well Teacher Shannon teaches her class one way and I teach another!” Then they would say, “Well, it’s too loud!” Gives me a smile every time!! They go sit back down and shake their heads at the door joining our rooms.
So to sum up… I feel like I am actually impacting these kids lives, which is a good feeling because really, up until recently, I didn’t think that this sort of job would ever be cut out for me. But I love it, and though I’m trying to go back to school to get my Masters, I will try my hardest to make school and this job work, because I love my kids and don't want to leave them.
That’s it for now……………………….GO GIANTS!!!!!! Have a great month and I’ll write again when another epiphany occurs!! :)
So onto the reason for the title of this blog. As many know I work at FKO here in Abilene. I am considered a teacher but never really thought of myself as one; I just considered myself a childcare provider; you know? Anyway, recently, certain events have made me realize that I am a teacher. I find that very very ironic. Like God is playing a game with me. My sister was always the teacher—when we were growing up she was Mrs. Scott (Lynn Scott at times) and I was always Marie Dowley (why that last name… I haven’t a clue) the student. So I wasn’t surprised when that’s what she ended up becoming; a teacher. When I got older, I wasn’t a huge fan of kids, mostly because the ones I came in contact with were usually brats and misbehaved so much I couldn’t see myself ever having one. Then the time came when I really was in desperate need of a job and what door opens? Well I taught a Sunday School Class for about 1 year. While I taught that SS class I was approached about being a floater for FKO and just coming when someone was out. And long story short… I am now a full time teacher who, in the whole time I have been there which is about 1 ½ years I have only missed teaching 1 day (when I had strep throat). And though, like anyone else, I come home and complain about how tired I was chasing 4-6 kids around, I still haven’t gotten tired of it (that is not to say I don’t relish my vacations :) ).
So my room is connected to another room where the 4-5 year old teacher Shannon works. We have different teaching styles. She is very earthy and calm and everyone’s friend. Which I guess it’s a good thing to have someone to even me out, since our classes combine most of the time. I, on the other hand, am a gentle person with a firm hand. I believe when it is circle time that we sit in a circle and do our best to pay attention (for as long as they can) and try to learn. I believe that nap time doesn’t necessarily mean you have to nap, but it is quiet time and we need to try and lay still. Lunch time, of course, is for conversing with your friends, but we eat sitting down, we learn please and thank you. Now i'm not saying that the other teacher is exact opposite of this, this is just what I believe when I teach. So during circle time we review Letters, Colors and Number. I do 1-10 on numbers, and 10 letters at a time (10 a month then I will combine them all). I’ve been doing this since September but just recently only started doing 10 at a time (I was loosing their focus to easily). Anyway, so I did this all through January and wasn’t seeing the results I thought I would, which made me question if I was really teaching my kids anything or if I needed to re-evaluate the way I taught. So on the 31st I decided to mix up the cards... not go in order... and see how my kids did. Well……. They did great. They knew them and when I was surprised and told them how proud I was I got the classic eye roll from Kate (I always thought she was too young to already have the eye roll down but its funny none the less) and the rest smiled real big and said WE’RE SILLY!!
Another example: At the beginning of the school year we did a torn paper collage of a color (can’t remember which). My kids couldn’t grasp the concept at all. And, of course, not being a certified teacher and knowing what the level of knowledge these kids are supposed to know at this age, I was concerned that they didn’t know how to tear paper and put it on glue. Well last Thursday we tried this again, with yellow construction paper and the Letter Y. It was like they’ve known how to do this since birth. No problems at all, and they had so much fun doing it. They filled up the Y like it was nothing and then asked to go play. It was just such an achievement. My heart was full!
Another thing that has made me proud lately is that I have been getting compliments on my kids’ behavior. I have the other teachers coming by during nap time saying, “They are so quiet. They are being so good!” And I would say, “I know, they know its nap time so they are being real good!” Almost every day I get those compliments. Shannon’s kids, on the other hand, are a bit rowdy. Now I let my kids have their spirals and crayons and they can color during nap time, but Shannon lets them get up and down for books, or to read with each other. So again i'm not saying this is awful at all, but then it gets rowdy when they do this. It’s weird when I have my kids coming up to me saying, “They are being loud, Teacher April. They aren’t supposed to be doing that, right?” And I would say, “Well Teacher Shannon teaches her class one way and I teach another!” Then they would say, “Well, it’s too loud!” Gives me a smile every time!! They go sit back down and shake their heads at the door joining our rooms.
So to sum up… I feel like I am actually impacting these kids lives, which is a good feeling because really, up until recently, I didn’t think that this sort of job would ever be cut out for me. But I love it, and though I’m trying to go back to school to get my Masters, I will try my hardest to make school and this job work, because I love my kids and don't want to leave them.
That’s it for now……………………….GO GIANTS!!!!!! Have a great month and I’ll write again when another epiphany occurs!! :)
(My regulars, from left to right: Jacob, Brooklyn, Reagan, and Kate)
