This is not normal. Normal will return next week.
As many of you know, I work in our church’s preschool AWANA program, the Cubbies (usually ages 3 to 5, or whenever a child starts kindergarten). I’m just usually another teacher wearing the blue Cubbie polo, doing the crafts.
But last night, I was in charge. (Cue dramatic music)
My mother usually runs the show. She has been involved with Cubbies for over ten years now, and has been in charge for quite a while now, too. However, she also belongs to a choir that happened to have a performance on a Wednesday night, and when she’s gone, I am usually left sitting in the big chair, directing traffic.
While the kids know me, it was clear that all 17 of them who came last night regarded me as some sort of pretender to the throne. I did not belong in their beloved Teacher’s chair. When I told them why she wasn’t there, they understood, but as one little girl later asked me, “This isn’t going to happen next week, is it?” When I reassured her that Teacher J. would be back next week, she was visibly relieved.
Things went pretty well, for as many kids as we had, and we only had a few behavior problems. We also had three brother-sister sibling pairs in the group, and one of them is particularly volatile. Big sister is quite bossy, and younger brother is often her victim. We started singing time with the Butterfly Song, which starts off with all the kids doing the sign language for butterfly. Little brother could not get his thumbs right, so big sister gave a big dramatic sigh, stood up over her brother, and took it upon herself to fix it. When the song was over, she stood up again. “Teacher, I need to sit somewhere else,” she told me. “My brother is distracting me.”
She sat down on the other side of the circle.
Yes, Teacher J. will be back next week. I’m quite happy being the crafts teacher, thanks.
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February 5th, 2007 07:23
I salute your bravery! I think I would have run a mile and not stopped! Well done!