We Are A Family

I have to admit right off the bat, I was more than a little apprehensive about returning to school after a two week break! I knew that my routine had been broken -- days in pajamas, lots of food with family, board games, late night talks, etc. and I could only imagine what kind of fun my students were having! I was excited to see the kids again, but nervous that it would be like the first day of school all over again - practicing how to get in line, sitting on the carpet, being a part of a large group - all of that tedious stuff. 

Boy, was I wrong (and that is a GREAT thing). 

In the morning, students trickle in for the first half hour. Every student was greeted by friends with an excited “hello”, hug, high five, or combination of those things. 

I missed capturing the hug and high five here - they were already onto showing their friend a new toy they discovered!

The children jumped right into their morning activity and acted as if it were any other day. I couldn’t stop smiling as I quietly witnessed the handholding and cooperation and... love. 

The day went on and it was beautiful. Of course, as you will experience with any group of three and four year olds, we have our disagreements and altercations. But for the most part, these kids really care for and respect one another. 

I am called on a lot less to solve problems - even little ones like opening milk cartons, because they know who can do what, and each child plays a really important part in the classroom. They rely on each other and work with each other; something that I’m really excited they figured out and also really excited that they remembered over break. 

Our classroom, even on the roughest of days, is filled with laughter, hugs, compliments, stories, learning, and love - and that goes for children AND teachers. This is how preschool should be and this is why I am a preschool teacher. 

I hope that every preschool class is like this, so maybe this is a waste of a blog going on and on talking about how important it is and how much I love to be a part of it. I almost didn’t type it... but as I was thinking about my family of a classroom today, one of my students called my name. I looked up and he blew me a kiss. Then he kept walking. That was honestly all he wanted from me - he just wanted to blow me a kiss. 

I believe that school is not only a place where children go to learn, but also a place where they can be guaranteed that they are safe, valued, cherished, and loved. I’m glad to see that’s happening in my classroom along with all of the standard learning that’s supposed to be happening. :-)