Mean Girls

One of the other preschool teachers has affectionately dubbed my class Mean Girls. It's because I have a lot of tall, tough, strong girls. They look like they are five year olds instead of three.

I have 20 students in my class and only 7 boys. The boys more than hold their own though. Trust me. Because of them, the biting gal, and the gal who apparently showed everyone how to spit at each other, we now call the time out chair the thinking chair. 

My helpful PTA parents informed me some parents were worrying about how often their children were talking about time out. One cannot be concerned about why there's a need for time out. One particular parent, who's child is "famous" according to the PTA, was very concerned because her son does not like to come to school due to how often he sits in time out. The next day we began calling it the thinking chair! Thus, now when children go home they will talk about taking time to think instead of taking time out.

Brilliant right?!! I can't take credit. My Chinese teacher came up with it. She's a gem. 

The above picture perfectly encapsulates my class. The sweet, tall girl; the girl who's secretly up to something; and the girl who's ready and waiting. More like: ready and waiting to go whining to Miss Heather only to receive a: "Do not whine. Do not tattle. Let's try that again. This is how you say it..." 

This gal. She's a hoot! Miss dramatic. She will throw herself on the ground for no reason other than to be goofy. Between throwing herself on the ground and tripping, I'm pretty sure she falls at least 15 times a day, often creating a domino of children falling. Perhaps I should address it, but I find entertainment in it all!

Today, at recess, my kids were running up to me. They were tripping, then tripping over each other. This little tyke came running over and dramatically fell..JUST as the others got on their feet. Suddenly I had 7 kids sprawled out on the ground in front of me as others were heading down the slide and fell on top of them.  A substitute Chinese teacher started to run to help then stopped as she saw me laughing. I felt bad as the poor kiddos never say it coming, but they're three, it happens. I laugh, they laugh, they forget they fell. Unless there's blood of course. 

Coddling gets you no where. As English teachers, we are told to encourage our Chinese teachers not to help. The Chinese teachers are told to take kids to the nurse for every scrape. Can you IMAGINE!?  

These two. They are my favorite boys. Shhhh I didn't say that. Don't worry; I don't pay them special attention. I mean, who has the time for that anyway!? Mr. Fireman giggles loudly ALL the time. I love it! Mr. Construction worker's parents brought me coffee the first week of school and gave me a care package of meds from the states when I was sick. 

I can be bought off. I'm not ashamed of it either! I don't need to be with these two though!

When one or both of these boys are gone for the day, my voice is less hoarse. But I am finding I miss their hesitant looks when they don't understand something, then their eyes lighting up when they do understand something I say! 

This one. I adore her. She is spunky and sassy and smart! I may or may not let her hold a conversation with me during lunch when the other's are told to be quiet. Her chair is closer to us, okay? 

She's also nearly bilingual. Sometimes I ask her to help interpret. She likes showing off how much she knows. She's good at it too. One day four children in a row came to school asking if she was here yet. She's got charisma I tell ya!

Ahhh, the famous one. None other than, the child whom EVERY parent knew the name of by the end of the first week of class. He was probably a few of the kiddos' first English word. Thankfully he's got a smile like none other and the mischievous eyes behind the smile melt me. Okay not melt, but soften at least. 

As a pastor of mine likes to say, this little man most certainly works my reserve nerve. Last week he shocked me with finally starting to obey and participate with the class! I sent a schmoozy email home to the parents talking up their little boy saying how much he's improved. 

The VERY NEXT DAY the parent of drama-falling-gal informed me a PTA mom had informed her that her daughter had told her that this boy had spit in drama-falling-gal's face. Well then. 

House Daddy is Sara's nickname for this little boy. He's always pushing a baby stroller, cooking in the house, and looking after the gals of the class. I'll rephrase that: looking after the shorter gals of the class. He's a sweetheart. 

Sara calls him a baby (in a good way) because he talks like a very young child in Chinese I guess. He's terrified of stepping down a stair to get onto the playground. Each day he comes to grab our hand for help. It's cute. I mean, he's only three so he's allowed to be scared! Next year though...he's gotta toughen up! Kidding. Kinda.

This one is the favorite of the teacher who calls my class Mean Girls. Today at recess (and the entire day) she kept crying and whining about EVERYTHING. The other teacher was begging me, "Help her! She's just SO CUTE!" 

We may need to switch classrooms for a reality check one day. For both of us. I have really smart children who are catching on to this whole English language thing quickly. They may be naughty, but they are smart! 

Sometimes I think that's why children are more naughty. They're bored. Rightly so when they're in such a big class! She says her children are not super smart but they are very well behaved. I know, we are terrible to be saying such things! Given a choice, I'll take the naughty smart ones that keep me on my toes and have me looking forward to my lunchtime jogs! Plus, she's a better teacher than I am so it's good she's got that challenge.

I considered teaching him to NOT put the handcuffs around the baby's neck. In fact, I even gave it a gung-ho effort one morning. Then I just held the handcuffs captive, deciding I have bigger fish to fry with this boy. Such as: do not push every child down; be kind; do not kick; treat books nicely.

He's actually very sweet when he's gotten enough sleep the night before. Sadly, that's out of my control. Thus, he's quickly learning when Miss Heather puts him down for a nap before the rest of the kids and says to be quiet or else...he had BETTER be quiet. Thankfully he hasn't learned I don't have any more "or else's" up my sleeve!

She is not in pain. She is smiling. Duhhh. 

I just want to hug and comfort her all the time! Instead I'm forced to put her in the thinking chair if she's crying too loudly for me to have class. It makes me sad because she's just not sure about this English school business yet. Alas, it's where she's at and she needs to learn. 

In the mean time, I smile at her a LOT. I'm trying to gauge when hugging her helps and when it terrifies her because she cannot understand me. She loves singing action songs! I think we're bonding over a flare for boisterous singing. 

They're cute right? People have been saying that since I've been here and I'm just now beginning to see it. It helps I'm beginning to see their personalities. It also helps they are already picking up English phrases! 

Having heard many children's first words, Of course I never admitted that and always acted surprised when a parent told me otherwise! I have decided hearing a first English word from a child fluent in another language is one of the most incredible things. Ever.

The other day a girl came up to me and said, "Miss Heather I need to poop." My eyes LIT UP as I responded, "GOOD JOB! That was VERY GOOD English!!!" 

That said, I would not mind some day being in a position where I do not have to hear the word poop, much less instinctively find myself ecstatic upon hearing it spoken as a child's first English phrase spoken without prompt!