I came across a list I had started of "Quotables" from the kids this year. Most of the things we hear are "you have to be there" moments but I think others might find a little humor in this selection.
Me: What was there before Creation?
Child: NOTHING! It was like a pool with no algae.
"Is an octopus nocturnal or turnal?"
Me: Class, you are too loud. You are right next to your friend. You need to use your beautiful inside voice to talk. Listen to how I talk to Sally...
Hi Sally, what would you like to play?
Sally: Uh...purple.
Me. Hm. Okay...See class?
"I drank all my milk for breakfast today so I'm ready to be line leader."
After spilling his entire lunch on the classroom floor...
"It's okay. I'm going to leave it there for the dog."
During a lesson on using our imagination I asked the kids what their crayons would say if they could talk:
Child 1: Hi.
Child 2: I love you
Child 3: Goodbye.
Child 4: They would take their wrappers off and yell I'M NAKED!
Me: What was the name of the ship the pilgrims were on?
Child: The Cauliflower
Boy: She keeps calling me a girl and I don't even have a ponytail.
Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Child: Tall.
Me: Well, a job. What job do you want to have? A doctor, teacher, policeman...
Child: I really just want to be tall.
Child: My dad's in California.
Me: That sounds like fun.
Child: Yeah, he's there singing about Jesus because they don't know Jesus there.
Fellow teacher on Grandparent's Day: What a great line! If I was your grandmother I would love to see this during my visit today!
Child: Well, your already old.
After reading Cat in the Hat (about a fun-filled day with a surprise visit from the Cat in the Hat on a rainy day stuck inside)...
Child: They should have just watched a movie.
Boy to a girl in time-out: Yeah, I don't think we can get married anymore. I just...I just can't after that.
Me: What does your Dad do at work?
Boy: He makes bacon to bring home.
Girl (everyday): Bye Mrs. Cousin! I hope you have a beautiful rainbow sunshine purple day!
Girl: I just did self-control. I was thinking about pulling Sally's hair but I thought in my brain and I didn't do it.
Me: You need to sit out. That was not kind.
Child: Well, Jesus still loves me you know.
Child: My dad just Works! Works! Works! ALLLLways workin'! And my MOM GOES SHOPPING!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Life with the Littles: Schools Out!
School is out for the summer! I have waited for this day for weeks and suddenly, I feel like I'm missing my right arm and had a fleeting feeling of, "What am I going to do NOW?" While that feeling went away quickly, I still have that feeling one gets when you forget to wear a watch or something. I have to admit, I became a little more attached to those kids than I thought I would! There is so much work put into those little guys all year and more often than not- you are with them more than their parents! A lot of their development, "light bulb" moments, and lessons have been on my time and it's hard to think that I won't be a large part of that anymore and they have moved on from me! There are some very critical lessons learned at the age of 3 and 4 and they are working through many emotions and behaviors. As teacher and student you work through those with patience you didn't know you had and love you didn't know you could show in certain situations. Teaching has challenged me in different ways and as I only have 2 years in the profession under my belt, I'm still getting to know what education entails and defining my teaching style. Lists detour me from rambling so below are a few favorite moments, lessons, and realizations as I put the 2013-2014 school year to rest. Warning-it's very long. I like to look back on these things myself.
-As a teacher in preprimary you are often an educator for the parent as much as the child. I'm not yet a parent which makes this difficult to have the confidence in advising parents but in certain situations, you do know better as an educator.
-As much as you want to yell into a pillow some days because of the naughty child, they do end up making a sweet spot in your heart. I think it's because of all the emotions, talks, lessons, and energy we have put into each other. Every time I heard an "I love you" from that child after a "talking to", I melted a little. She sent me on an emotional roller coaster, tested my patience, and drew out the teddy bear in me (not hard to do, but for her-yes).
-You have to be an advocate for the child- not just to parents but to fellow teachers. No, I don't think she has autism. No, I don't think he has autism. If we labeled every bright and able child who has one little quirk with autism we would all be on the spectrum. Sometimes people are quirky. Sometimes in an 8 hour day filled with directions, socialization, sharing, talking, singing- a 4 year old wants to play alone.
-I'm reflecting on what I need to improve on and there are many** things. But all in all, I'm proud of my work with these kids this year. I think this is the smartest group of 3's and 4's I will see. I'm certainly not saying this is because of me but by adapting to the kind of class I had, we were able to accomplish a lot! At times it was hard to believe in what I was doing because I felt it wasn't fostering a joy for learning and I questioned many things. But the majority of the time and as the year went on, I began seeing a 4 year old be inquisitive, analytical, and curious. I followed their lead and gave more opportunity to explore the many wanderings they had and we all were encouraged by this.
-I'm don't feel like the year was a success because the kids learned about nocturnal animals or can write their name. I see that it was a success because the kids showed the start of a moral compass, a love for Jesus, and knew when they were being disrespectful to someone. They learned that it's more important to be kind than right, they welcomed new students with open arms and excitement, and when someone tripped or fell they all were right there with an "Are you okay? instead of a giggle. They learned to greet others with confidence, share, obey the first time, and make new friends. They showed the first steps to responsibility, self-control, patience, and showing love appropriately. This list has me in tears! They were amazing! It sounds like they were 6 year olds but they were (for the most part) the kindest group of 3/4's- and I had the "challenging" class! Ha!
-I have written about my anxiety of teaching Bible before and while I made it through and delivered the message of God's love- there were certainly times when I was at a complete loss for words. It's amazing what spiritual questions can come from a 4 year old! At times I just had to say, "I don't know" and that's when they first learned about what faith is.
-Yesterday I caught myself asking Will to help me make the bed in song-form. There is something about singing that makes a child immediately drop everything and listen. I have sang a song to the boys about cleaning up the pee on the toilette, I have sang a song to the snot maker about going to get a tissue right away. We sang songs about getting lunch boxes, cleaning up, and not licking your neighbor. They were always made up on the spot and usually went to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell." I could make a record.
-This list only touches on the classroom but there is a whole other world a part from just the kids. With demands from admin, team leads, curriculum, and preparation- things could get stressful. However, I'm truly surrounded by people who value relationships, realize life priorities, and want to portray Christian values. I'm not saying it's a fairytale- at all- but it's a good place to be right now.
-I'm learning that there is no strict line between life and your job. I want my life to be separate from my job. I'm one of those people. I want to leave work at work. I'm not a workaholic. But you just can't. If I know Tommy's parents are on a 10 day European vacation, I'm going to be laying awake thinking about what his grandparents might be forgetting to bring the next day or if Sue is bringing in Birthday treats and Sally is allergic to EVERYTHING you're going to be searching for some backups. You get calls from families at 9 pm wondering if you'll help Bobby through drop off by himself the next day or 6 am texts asking if it's green T-shirt day. You are going to get roped into a Saturday ballet recital... Will might put a stop to that one though. :)
-As a mush about the wonderfulness of this class I've got to point out there were numerous times I called my mom frustrated, arms in the air, and perplexed. There were new challenges and ones that I didn't exactly know how to handle. You do the best you can and then pray about it.
-I will miss them all but here are the ones that pop into my head the most:
The baby- The youngest in the class and obviously so. She just needed a snuggle sometimes and was happy following the others.
The Comedian- The little boy who is already doing impressions of his classmate's Grandpa and is the first to catch the jokes-and make them.
The Leader- She wanted to do everything right and I pray that she is never influenced by the negative choices of others.
Bossy pants- Repeatedly confessed to wanting to be the teacher just so she can be the boss.
Ragamuffin- Always a mess. With all the cubbies cleared out on the last day of school, hers was true to form with orange slices and spilled juice.
My Showcase- I could count on him to do the right thing, say the right answer, and make us look like we knew exactly what we were doing when visitors walked in! :)
-The Tenderhearted, the "Handsy", the Clueless, the Partier, the Troublemaker, the First Crushers- they are all precious!
They are young but they all seemed to understand that they are going to the next grade where I will not be their teacher. It's cliche to say, but THEY taught ME this year. I really didn't know what could possibly go on in a group of 3 and 4's when I entered into this position. But you've got to do something with a group of 17 with high expectations and the kids exceeded any ideas I had and mixed play with school very well.
We ended our year with a big class hug (with them laughing, me gasping for air wondering why that was a good idea and rushing toward the vitamins) and my final reminders of "You all are SO smart and are going to do wonderful things! I love you and loved being your teacher. Remember the things you learned when you go to PK4- Be kind, listen to your teachers, and Jesus loves you no matter what!
*I kept adding things to this mushy-mess of a post! Apologies for the length.
-As a teacher in preprimary you are often an educator for the parent as much as the child. I'm not yet a parent which makes this difficult to have the confidence in advising parents but in certain situations, you do know better as an educator.
-As much as you want to yell into a pillow some days because of the naughty child, they do end up making a sweet spot in your heart. I think it's because of all the emotions, talks, lessons, and energy we have put into each other. Every time I heard an "I love you" from that child after a "talking to", I melted a little. She sent me on an emotional roller coaster, tested my patience, and drew out the teddy bear in me (not hard to do, but for her-yes).
-You have to be an advocate for the child- not just to parents but to fellow teachers. No, I don't think she has autism. No, I don't think he has autism. If we labeled every bright and able child who has one little quirk with autism we would all be on the spectrum. Sometimes people are quirky. Sometimes in an 8 hour day filled with directions, socialization, sharing, talking, singing- a 4 year old wants to play alone.
-I'm reflecting on what I need to improve on and there are many** things. But all in all, I'm proud of my work with these kids this year. I think this is the smartest group of 3's and 4's I will see. I'm certainly not saying this is because of me but by adapting to the kind of class I had, we were able to accomplish a lot! At times it was hard to believe in what I was doing because I felt it wasn't fostering a joy for learning and I questioned many things. But the majority of the time and as the year went on, I began seeing a 4 year old be inquisitive, analytical, and curious. I followed their lead and gave more opportunity to explore the many wanderings they had and we all were encouraged by this.
-I'm don't feel like the year was a success because the kids learned about nocturnal animals or can write their name. I see that it was a success because the kids showed the start of a moral compass, a love for Jesus, and knew when they were being disrespectful to someone. They learned that it's more important to be kind than right, they welcomed new students with open arms and excitement, and when someone tripped or fell they all were right there with an "Are you okay? instead of a giggle. They learned to greet others with confidence, share, obey the first time, and make new friends. They showed the first steps to responsibility, self-control, patience, and showing love appropriately. This list has me in tears! They were amazing! It sounds like they were 6 year olds but they were (for the most part) the kindest group of 3/4's- and I had the "challenging" class! Ha!
-I have written about my anxiety of teaching Bible before and while I made it through and delivered the message of God's love- there were certainly times when I was at a complete loss for words. It's amazing what spiritual questions can come from a 4 year old! At times I just had to say, "I don't know" and that's when they first learned about what faith is.
-Yesterday I caught myself asking Will to help me make the bed in song-form. There is something about singing that makes a child immediately drop everything and listen. I have sang a song to the boys about cleaning up the pee on the toilette, I have sang a song to the snot maker about going to get a tissue right away. We sang songs about getting lunch boxes, cleaning up, and not licking your neighbor. They were always made up on the spot and usually went to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell." I could make a record.
-This list only touches on the classroom but there is a whole other world a part from just the kids. With demands from admin, team leads, curriculum, and preparation- things could get stressful. However, I'm truly surrounded by people who value relationships, realize life priorities, and want to portray Christian values. I'm not saying it's a fairytale- at all- but it's a good place to be right now.
-I'm learning that there is no strict line between life and your job. I want my life to be separate from my job. I'm one of those people. I want to leave work at work. I'm not a workaholic. But you just can't. If I know Tommy's parents are on a 10 day European vacation, I'm going to be laying awake thinking about what his grandparents might be forgetting to bring the next day or if Sue is bringing in Birthday treats and Sally is allergic to EVERYTHING you're going to be searching for some backups. You get calls from families at 9 pm wondering if you'll help Bobby through drop off by himself the next day or 6 am texts asking if it's green T-shirt day. You are going to get roped into a Saturday ballet recital... Will might put a stop to that one though. :)
-As a mush about the wonderfulness of this class I've got to point out there were numerous times I called my mom frustrated, arms in the air, and perplexed. There were new challenges and ones that I didn't exactly know how to handle. You do the best you can and then pray about it.
-I will miss them all but here are the ones that pop into my head the most:
The baby- The youngest in the class and obviously so. She just needed a snuggle sometimes and was happy following the others.
The Comedian- The little boy who is already doing impressions of his classmate's Grandpa and is the first to catch the jokes-and make them.
The Leader- She wanted to do everything right and I pray that she is never influenced by the negative choices of others.
Bossy pants- Repeatedly confessed to wanting to be the teacher just so she can be the boss.
Ragamuffin- Always a mess. With all the cubbies cleared out on the last day of school, hers was true to form with orange slices and spilled juice.
My Showcase- I could count on him to do the right thing, say the right answer, and make us look like we knew exactly what we were doing when visitors walked in! :)
-The Tenderhearted, the "Handsy", the Clueless, the Partier, the Troublemaker, the First Crushers- they are all precious!
They are young but they all seemed to understand that they are going to the next grade where I will not be their teacher. It's cliche to say, but THEY taught ME this year. I really didn't know what could possibly go on in a group of 3 and 4's when I entered into this position. But you've got to do something with a group of 17 with high expectations and the kids exceeded any ideas I had and mixed play with school very well.
We ended our year with a big class hug (with them laughing, me gasping for air wondering why that was a good idea and rushing toward the vitamins) and my final reminders of "You all are SO smart and are going to do wonderful things! I love you and loved being your teacher. Remember the things you learned when you go to PK4- Be kind, listen to your teachers, and Jesus loves you no matter what!
*I kept adding things to this mushy-mess of a post! Apologies for the length.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
The Cousins and Macs Reunite!
Each time I see Pia I treasure our friendship a little bit more. We are so alike in some ways and in the ways we aren't- we love that too. Mark had to come down to Orlando for a medical conference and nothing is keeping Pia away from Disney when there's an opportunity. One thing about the McEleneys- they love their Disney. I'm trying to get them to branch out but how can you top the happiest place on Earth? :) We met them there for just a day and tried to convince Will of the magic of Disney by spending time at Downtown Disney, the Animal Kingdom resort, and the Boardwalk. He claims our house is split since he grew up on Looney Tunes and I grew up on Disney, but there isn't even a comparison there.
It's a gift to have a friend that you grow up with through high school years, college years, and then introduce your husbands and see a great friendship spark between the two of them as well.
Boardwalk 
The inland Florida heat of Orlando forced us to make the shade and slushies 1st priority.
It's a gift to have a friend that you grow up with through high school years, college years, and then introduce your husbands and see a great friendship spark between the two of them as well.
It's nice to have friends who also need coffee runs when the predicted bedtime is later than 10....okay, 9.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Bonjour NYC!
A few weeks ago Will and I went on an NYC adventure and Will was able to see the city for the first time, I was able to see the city with older eyes, and most importantly- we connected with Frenchie! Caroline, aka "Frenchie" was the Cousin's foreign exchange student when Will was in high school. Her housing experience was not a great situation so the French teacher asked the Cousin's if they would take her in last minute and show her that great American experience. It resulted in a life-long friendship between their families. They took Will under their wing during his stay in France and trips overseas have been made for weddings and visits. This was really the first time I was able to get to know the Frenchie I have heard so much about and we all got along great. The only hiccup was the language barrier as Caroline's husband didn't speak English and of course, my French goes as far as "Bonjour" and "J'taime". Between Caroline's translations and Will dusting off his French it turned out just fine. We had to communicate in other ways, say things a bit more simply, and figure things out. I got a glimpse into that part of Will's past experiences and it sparked conversations that I loved to hear. I saw how we take language for granted and being misunderstood and not able to communicate is a new world I've rarely stepped into! Needless to say, there were lots of thumbs up and a few giggles when mistakes were made...like when Will asked Antony if he had a chance to call his girlfriend (mistaking "girlfriend" for "little girl".) Caroline wasn't around so we spent an awkward 10 seconds in the elevator until they realized the mistake. Whoops!
The Pod- recommended for your stay! 2 blocks from grand central, economical (for NY), and adorable.
Gearing up!
The Highline
Chelsea Market- Will had an entire lobster sitting on his plate with a side of fish eggs. I opted for pizza.
Rooftop Brunch-my favorite activity
The Highline
Bucket List check: Hail a NYC cab
The ultimate American experience: Five Guys burger and fries!
Will didn't have his walking shoes on...lesson learned.
Central Park
Being in NYC again showed me how much past experiences change how you see new things. I have been to the Big Apple a few times in high school and this trip it seemed sightly different. In high school I had been to less cities, had fewer experiences with seeing strange things (ha), and had rarely been out of my comfort zone. 7 years later and the happenings of NYC didn't seem so shocking, the city didn't seem as dirty, and the "hustle and bustle" didn't scare me. I felt surprisingly safe and the relaxed feel of our sight seeing was how I like to vacation. Thanks to Caroline, we saw a lot of things in a short amount of time but we didn't feel rushed. I felt a little guilty about not showing HER around as she was pretty much our tour guide but I quickly saw her organization and planning as her gift and enjoyment.
This trip was a great way to get to know this part of the Cousin family and spark a new friendship between wives. I'm grateful we were able to spend this time with sweet people and get a small taste of French culture. We will look forward to seeing Caroline and Antony again and meeting their little pumpkins, Maewynn and Jack. I let her know we live pretty close to Mickey Mouse! :)
Central Park
More rooftop fun
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