I got to go BACK to kindergarten today. I think I left out a lot of thoughts from yesterday's post so I wrote a list during my break. But first, an overview of the day.
The kids went to art class and I was expecting it to be a grand time. As it turns out, art class isn't that exciting when you're a kindergartner. They painted shapes, which was pretty boring. And messy. Plus they couldn't go out to recess today and I think they must have known that because I felt a lot more energy in the room than I did yesterday. Lunch was a lot more hectic and the kids would not settle down during free play time. They continued to learn about apples and took turns at various stations completing mostly arts and crafts type activities. They did mostly the same stuff as yesterday with a few new additions. I noticed the teacher speaking with them in a regular voice and telling them "I really like [whatever they are doing that is positive]" or "you're making me sad" when they aren't following directions. This "like/don't like" and "making me happy/making me sad" kind of talk sounds ridiculous to me but really seemed to work with the kids. All they really want is to make you happy.
We also had a new student in class today and she took up a lot of my time. She was really unhappy being in a new school and cried a lot throughout the day. I wanted to help her but the other kids were so crazy I had limited time. Thankfully the principal sat with her at lunch and got her to eat a little.
Some observations I left out yesterday: they get breakfast! I don't know if I'm forgetting kindergarten, but when they get to the classroom they can get a drink (juice or milk) and a breakfast food (cereal, bagel with cream cheese, muffin). They've got it so easy (but it probably is a reflection of the community's affluence, or lack thereof). Another thing I wanted to mention is the hall song - I love it! They sing about keeping their arms at their sides, standing tall, and looking ahead. It's a great song and really focuses them on the task at hand.
I also totally forgot about lice. Apparently these are not the same bugs we had in our classrooms when we were little. These are super lice that cannot be killed by the shampoo your mom used to get at the grocery store. I am now terrified that I'm going to end up with lice and have them for weeks and never rid myself of them. AH!
I'm also struggling with what to wear. For kindergarten I feel like I need to be approachable. I want to wear stuff that is less professional and more kid-friendly. So for all three of my placements I wore casual things like a shirtdress or khaki skirt with striped leggings. But I think for middle school I want to tower over the kids and look really professional - dress pants and nice sweaters with the tallest shoes I can find. Now I think I'm probably over-thinking the situation. At the school there was another substitute in for an elementary class and she looked like she belonged in an office. It's probably more about your attitude than your dress so perhaps I should just go with whatever I feel like.
What I really need is a secondary job so that I can pay my bills. This substitute gig is pretty fun (so far) but it does not pay well at all. Fingers crossed.
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