Oh I love kids! Actually I think it’s better said that I love people. But man, nothing beats a day working with school age( 6-18) kiddos. All of my teaching career has been spent huddled comfortably in 5th grade. I like 5th grade. I understand 5th grade. I can reason with 5th grade. This summer I had the opportunity to work with teens. I’m comfortable with teens. I like teens. I can reason with teens. This broke all concepts of what age group I thought I could work with. So when I was asked if I would be interested in working with younger ones I thought, well maybe I’ve pigeon holed myself. Maybe I’m a person who really can work with all age levels. I’ve never heard of such a thing, but possibly this is what the Lord gifted me in. Maybe?
Uhhhh, NO! I had the chance to sub in a 1st grade classroom recently and I’m just saying!
Problem #1 containers of worms on the table with tiny little pieces of bedding. Ahhh! Have a told you about my OCD! Can you imagine?! The worms alone, umm not so bad but the bedding that fell off their fingers while petting their little worms was enough to drive me batty. It was all over papers, tables, chairs, and worst of all the carpet. THE CARPET y’all! You can’t just go sweeping that stuff up off of carpet, you have to leave it there all day for the janitor to get it or hands and knees it. I know you know what I did. That’s right, I picked up a hand full only to have children drop more than what I had picked up and stopped in defeat.
Problem #2 the wiggles! It’s completely expected that students 5th grade and above can come into a classroom and do what’s needed to start the day. These little guys, not so much! They were just jumping with energy, as though someone had flipped their switch to vibrate and it was stuck. There was not a calm moment of the day. Always moving and shaking even when doing the right thing like reading, writing, or drawing. Still just a movin’.
Problem #3 did I mention the bedding.
Problem #4 the tears. Oh the tears! “He looked at me wrong.” “She said I don’t do karate.” “I don’t remember.” “He runs too fast.” “She smashed my thumb with a tree stump.” On and on and on. Well, maybe that last one was valid. But good night. When logic reasoning didn’t work, I just wanted to tell them to suck it up. But that’s just not how you handle situations with fragile little ones. SO instead there was lots of squatting on afore mentioned “bedded” carpet doing conflict resolution. How exhausting!
Problem #5 … I don’t know if you understand how much the bedding got under my skin.
Problem #6 The constant explaining! Part of the joy of 5th grade is that even as you explain what the students are to do clearly there are some parts that they simply infer. Such as when you say we are going outside to cut off the white flowers only. They infer that they are not to pull off other flowers. Whereas precious little ones cut off white flowers splendidly but then when walking by a pretty pink flower won’t cut it (because they were told not to) but will instead yank the entire plant out of the ground. Even as you are yelling and flailing about wildly not to, because you didn’t say their name specifically because you couldn’t remember at the time they don’t stop. Just for example. :)
Problem #7 the fear that if you make them wait to “use it” they really just might wet their pants.
Problem #8 the lack of understanding that just because you repeat something 15 times does not mean I will stop talking to another student to respond to you. Then the confusion when I don’t respond to their sticky fingers tapping my shoulder when conferring with another student.
Oh my! I don't understand 1st graders and I can't reason with 1st graders but I’ve decided that I really do like 1st graders as little people individually but a classroom full of them…. Hmmm, ya I’ll take doing almost anything else.
So, a big public thank you to all the early elementary teachers out there. I now know I cannot do your job and would not want to. Which spells job security for you! Congrats! :)
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