The Best Things In Life are Free

Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, and lots of clothing, gift cards, and toys have been given and received, I have had time to sit and enjoy my favorite gift.  It did not cost any money - just some paper, some crayons, and the minds of 27 kindergartners.   This year, in addition to a generous gift card, my class made me a paper chain comprised of drawings, good tidings, and their favorite things about me. While being showered with gifts is always nice, being showered with kind words and praise is somehow more fulfilling.  Here are a few of my favorite links on the chain:

• "I like that Mrs. Q. never yells at me."
• "She makes sure you are safe."
• "I like homework."
• "When Mrs. Q. stops my bloody nose."
• "Mrs. Q. teaches me math sooo good." (but apparently not English)
• "I like walking to my bus with Mrs. Q."
• "Mrs. Q. lets me go to the office when I get hurt."
• "Mrs. Q. helps me not break the rules and be listening in my class."
• "I like when she gets balls for us!"
• "Mrs. Q only puts stars on our papers if we are correct.  If we don't, we get an X.  I like stars."
• "I like Mrs. Q because she has a nice smile."
• "Mrs. Q helps us because he's our special teacher we love."

My Wish For You Is

Tomorrow, along with putting on our 15 minute Christmas spectacular, we must say goodbye to two of our students who will be moving to Texas.  I am truly sad to see these two sweet girls (twins) go as are all of their classmates.  Today, as a going away gift and reminder of their awesome kindergarten class, we made a book for them in which each student illustrated and completed the sentence "My wish for you is ____."  As each student dictated their sentences, there were very nice and common sentiments such as "that you have a fun time," "that you come back and visit," and "that you enjoy the airplane ride."  One girl, who is particularly compassionate and close to these girls, took a while to decide what she was going to write.  Finally, she indicated that she was ready and in her broken English (Korean is her first language) she explained that her wish was that she could lift up our school and put it in Texas.  With a grin on her face, she continued to explain how an airplane could carry it or she could throw it there, but at least we could all still be together.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I do know that those twin girls will always cherish that page in their book. 

My Love-Hate Relationship with December

The arrival of Santa Claus at the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade signifies the start of the Christmas season in the real world and the start of "super hyper mode" in the kindergarten classroom.  The students are on a constant high from excitement (made worse with the occasional sugary Christmas treat).  The schedule is thrown out the window because of special events, parties, and programs and with it goes the students' good behavior (which wasn't even necessarily that good to begin with).  This results in a teacher that feels and acts like the Grinch by the time Friday rolls around:

     Student: Mrs. Q, will you call us for lunch using your Santa voice?

     Mrs. Q:  No! Not until you listen to me using my real voice!

     Student:  I got a video on my computer from Santa and he actually talked to me!                  

     Mrs. Q:  Great...did he remind you stay in your seat at school?

     Student: I like your Christmas tree.           

     Mrs. Q: Don't touch it.

     Students:  Can we play the Rudolph hot potato game?

     Mrs. Q: No! It's too noisy!

Luckily, the weekend gives me time to reflect on all the things to love about spending the holiday season with 27 five year olds. Their excitement can be contagious and they help me get into the Christmas spirit as we create Christmas decorations and presents, practice Christmas carols, and countdown using our Advent calendar.  There is always a Christmas video to show or book to read if you have too much time on your hands (or can't take the talking one more minute).  I also get a ton of enjoyment hearing what their parents have hiding under their bed for me, or the "secret" project they are working on for us.  Or, the student who thinks he will be spending Christmas with me at school (sorry, sweetie, but no).  And parents, you aren't the only ones who can use Santa as a threat.  He is always watching, you know, and I have his email addresses...all 27 of them. 

And finally, there's always that one student who shows the real spirit of Christmas and reminds everyone, including me, that Christmas is about being selfless.  This year's moment came as two girls who share the same name were disagreeing over which ornament belonged to who.  They both claimed to have made a red glitter ball, but we had one red and one gold.  As I tried to think of ways to appease them, none of which were working, one boy came over and offered his ornament, which was red, stating that he "decided he didn't care what color his ornament was."  Both girls now wore smiles, and this Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day.  And that boy, well let's just say I talked to Santa about him. *wink*

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

So, today was St. Nicholas Day and, just like every other year, we celebrated it at school. Somehow this year managed to be much more interesting than years past. I started the day out by reading the real story of St. Nick -how he lived a very long time ago, how he became a bishop, and the kind and generous things he did for others. I explained in a hushed, excited voice how St. Nick normally makes a stop at our school and that we would be putting our shoes out later to see what happened. And so, on went the morning. During our bathroom break, the students were reminded of St. Nick due to the large mannequin (taller than my students) that the principal proudly displays on this day. Now, every year I have those students who think this is "the real" St. Nick, those students who are scared of the figure, and those who see it for what it is. One of the latter asked, "Is St. Nicholas dead?" Thinking of the story I had told that morning, I said "Yes, he lived a very long time ago." The student then responded, "Well, how is he going to visit us then?" Good grief...try talking yourself out of that one.

And so, with one new skeptic among us, we lined our shoes up in the hallway. It's amazing what having one shoe off will do to a kid. Suddenly, they can't walk and their voice becomes much louder. As I struggled to determine why there were only 25 shoes along the wall when there should be 26 (mystery solved: someone put their shoe on the wrong wall), the kids had center time. Finally we heard the bells ringing that signified that St. Nick had made his visit. The kids crowded around the door trying to peek out, while I stood guard trying to block the window and wait for the coast to be clear. But, the bells....just....kept....ringing. Finally, I had to make a secretive shooing motion to the older students (I mean St. Nick's helpers) so the kids could go out and see what was in their shoe already! Would it be a piece of candy? Maybe a small toy? Nope, this year Jolly old St. Nicholas left flax granola with pumpkin seeds AND a small bell for every child. Really, St. Nick!?
Not one student asked if they could eat their "treat," but those bells, they....just.....kept....ringing.

10 Kindergarten Misconceptions

1. Just because you do not like a food, does not mean you are allergic to it.
2. My first name is not Mrs. I have a real first name, and the few kids who know it are sworn to secrecy.
3. While I do not have eyes on the back of my head, I can hear and recognize your voice even when my back is turned.
4. There is more than one step to tying your shoes.  While repeating the first step over and over again does make the laces shorter, it also makes Mommy mad.
5. Just because the sun is out does not mean that you do not have to wear your coat.  Similarly, if you leave a coat in your locker every day, you will eventually run out of coats (also making Mommy mad).
6. An open juice box cannot be saved in your lunchbox for later, and you have to screw the lid back on your water bottle for it to be effective.
7. While I know the Kleenex box is enticing, it is not good for your nose to be addicted to tissues.
8. A popsicle stick does not double as a nail file.
9. Yes, the scissors will cut your hair, your clothes, and your skin. 
10. That gum under the table was not put there for you to play with...or to eat.

They will eventually learn, but until then, I will continue to enjoy :-)