Wild animals

I seriously think the kids and I need spring break to come soon. Tomorrow, please.

On Friday morning I went out to breakfast with two neighbors who are good friends, but whom I had barely seen all winter. It was a blast catching up with them. I walked to work — for the first time all year — and was in a wonderful mood when I arrived.

That lasted through the fifteen minutes of journal time, and during my prep when the children were at music. Then I went to pick them up. The music teacher greeted me at the door.

“They were like wild animals,” she said. “You couldn’t pay me enough to spend my day with preschoolers,” and her face showed her exhaustion.

She was right, too. The rest of the morning was wild. When they left all my energy was gone, as was my wonderful mood.

Miss Slinger looked at me. “You wear yourself out, because you feel responsible for everything they do.”

She’s right, but I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

4 thoughts on “Wild animals”

I often feel responsible for everyone’s behavior co- teachers, students my husband’s. It is exhausting.

This isn’t meant to sound weird but from the stuff you blog about I do wish I could stay a week in your classroom and pick up your teacher greatness.

Mccgood, speaking of husbands, mine said at dinner the other night, “your job is much more exhausting than mine. I just get to sit at my desk and think and write all day.” I get more worn out from my part-time work than he does from his full-time work. It’s nice that he understands, at least.

And your comment isn’t weird at all, it’s a very nice compliment. However, I’m not too sure about my “teacher greatness.” You might stop by my room and see my messy desk, my preschoolers acting up (again), and me all tired and cranky.

It is exhausting. I remember a wise parent/teacher told me once (about my son, incidently) that you cannot take everything a child does personally. Easier said than done, I think. Especially when you know they are capable of much more than they are showing you.