Corn. Being happy. And random findings.

So I was sitting with some of the kiddos in the Dramatic Play area (it sounds so official, doesn't it? But they prefer that over 'Play house' or something) and I was staring at this corn:

And I thought to myself, "Why the hell would they make it look so real? And then they expect kids NOT to eat it???" Look at it! It's crazy! Thank goodness we disinfect on a regular basis...

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I was talking to a good friend, Clare (I hope it's okay that I used your name!), and gushing about the kids again. She told me that I seem a lot happier now that when I was working at the other schools.

I told her that when I'm with the kids, they make me feel like I'm the most important person in the world, I feel like a superhero and they think I can do anything. They hang onto my every word, they laugh at all of my corny jokes... At the end of the day, I'm exhausted BUT my heart is full :D

Clare said that their love is unconditional (I've heard this from other people, too, but I can't recall who. Sorry, folks!), that no matter what I've done, if I get upset, or if I forget to do something, they'll still love me with their whole heart. It's a wonderful feeling, and I hope that everyone experiences that kind of love, whether it's from kids, a pet, a relative, or friend.

Thanks for that talk, Clare. I feel a lot better about where I'm at. Not that I really had much doubt, but a reminder every now and then is much appreciated.

I'm reminded that there is good in the world and that it's okay to wear your heart on your sleeve. Put it all out there!

Halloween and Things Girls Say to Boys...

Halloween is right around the corner! All of the kids have been talking about what their costumes will be: Batman, pirate, Spiderman, princess, ladybug, bunny... They're gonna be adorable, and you'll bet your sorry behind I'm going to post pictures of this stuff!!

They've made milk carton ghosts, spiders hanging on marble-painted spider webs, pumpkins... The room looks dynamite!

Well, we took the kiddos to a small fieldtrip to another play structure, just a couple of blocks away. One of the girls was holding the hand of a boy, like a buddy system :) It was pretty warm around this time (about 11:00 am), so she started to take off her jacket. Then she told me and the boy, "Girls wear the boy's jacket when it's cold. He's supposed to give her his jacket." Then she went on saying, "Have you ever seen a girl put her jacket in her pocket?"

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Yesterday, I had 3 kids on 3 separate occasions ask me to play with them. So I got pretty close to them, started talking to them or laughing, and they'd say, "Guess what, teacher? I'm sick!" with the largest grin on their faces. THREE CHILDREN!! What are the odds? I should have figured it out when one of the kids were isolated, working on an art activity all by their lonesome. A staff member must have placed them there so that they wouldn't pass it onto someone else. Let's hope my immune system has gotten stronger...

Red, yellow, green!

HA HA okay so... One of my boys had to rush to the bathroom because nature was calling. We're supposed to monitor activity, just use our peripheral vision to make sure that the kids don't fall in the toilet (I'm not even trying to be funny. Licensing would shut us down if we didn't keep an eye on the kids in the bathroom!).

Anyhoo, he rushes over to the toilet and I hear him screaming, "Alright!! It's yellow! YAY!" and he's pumping his fist in the air.

We actually went over traffic safety and he next began to say with a melody, "Red, yellow, green. Red, yellow, green..."

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We went to the pumpkin patch today @ Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay. The kids were super cute and excited. We rode horses, the train, went on a hay ride, picked out pumpkins, fed some baby goats... It was so fun!

On the hay ride, we see a bunch of growing Christmas trees and I point them out to the kids. One boy says, "It's my Christmas," so we ask, "well, is it your  Christmas or everyone's Christmas?" He says, "No, just mine." One of the other teachers say, "Christmas belongs to everyone, not just you."

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Okay, last thing....

This kid below is such a HOOT. He runs up to me with this spiral-bound booklet (we have something similar that contains all of the children's names and they're handwritten). He says, "Teacher, this is my name!" and I tell him, "No, honey, that says 'blanket.'"

I wish you could see his face because he has this sideways smirk that's really adorable :/

Something's going around... and I don't like it.

So... one of the aides in my classroom has been home for the last two days and discovered that she has contracted STREP-freakin-THROAT. Yes. She'll be home for the rest of the week, but that's so incredibly lame.

Not too long ago (maybe a week or so), one of the children was talking about his throat hurting. We were having snack and he told us that it hurt when he swallowed. He stayed home for a day, but quickly returned back to school.

Dad told us that strep was rampant at home with his sister and another family member! OH NO!

I don't know what Strep is like and I don't want to know! Please, don't let me get sick :(

My hand is a tissue.

HA HA The rain kept us in for most of the day, which was perfectly fine. The kids didn't act like a bunch of nut cases bouncing off the walls, they were pretty relaxed. Got a couple of new kids, but they fit right in :) No crying, they ate all of their food and got along with everyone.

The only story really worth mentioning was when we were playing Ring Around the Rosie and one of the kids was holding my hand. He decided he wanted to wipe his nose, so he automatically picked up his left hand (the one that was holding mine), brought it to his nose & wiped his nose. He ended up using the back of my hand instead of his own hand. Ugh.

Hope you are having a splendid day!

Kids are talented :D

A lot of the children contributed to the art display that was put together in the District Office (for the Superintendent to see!). (This board was about 20 feet long, keep in mind. So try to patch the pictures together :)

The owls, bees, butterflies, squirrels, flowers, all made over a span of 2 months. Aren't they beautiful??

Do you believe in horoscopes?

I don't usually follow horoscopes because the future can be what you make of it! But... I still read them for entertainment purposes! I thought my horoscope from Saturday was VERY appropriate for the predicament that I'm in right now :)

Here's what it said:
"Have you been questioning a path you've taken, Libra? If so, you need to assess how good that path has been to you so far. Most likely, you are moving forward with grace and making wonderful progress. Yet it is a human tendency to wonder if the path not taken might have been better. Don't question what you already know. You are headed in the right direction, and you are doing so at the appropriate pace. You are where you are meant to be. If someone else questions your choice, remain confident. Very soon, you will have even more reassurance from the universe."

I can't recall a time when I've been happier going to work. I had a nice conversation with a friend today, and I told him, "No matter what kind of day I'm having or the kind of night I had before, nothing beats a dozen children running up to you and hugging you as hard as they can. When I leave, they tell me that they'll miss me. It's a good feeling."

"Pantalon!"

One of my kids took a stack of at least 30 newsprint papers and cut them straight down the middle about 3 quarters of the way. I thought she wasted a bunch of papers and was about to throw them away! I said, "What are you doing with those papers?!?" She said in Spanish, "They're pants. I want to bring them home to my mom." HA HA Too cute.

My first post!

Welcome, friends!

I have to thank a couple people from Facebook who urged me to create this blog (I would write your names here, but I'm not sure if you want your names public... If you don't mind, let me know!).

This was the posting that I just put up:
"We're running around the track when it starts to rain. One of the kids stop me & scream, "We're gonna die!" as another kid zooms by w/ his pants down to his ankles."


Kids never cease to amaze me, and they're just so dang funny :D

Well... since I'm already here, I might as well post my thoughts. I've been in a bit of a rut, trying to figure out if I wanna stick to this career or move on to new things. Financially, let's face it: preschool teachers don't make much dinero. On the other hand, I've never been more satisfied or fulfilled in my life.

So here's my question: What is my problem?? Should I move on to bigger and "better" things or be content with my current situation?

Thanks, folks. More to come!