Two months ago I started my new job. I was scared. Nervous. But my heart led me.
The first day in my new classroom was, to say the least....interesting.
Every time I called my students Squish face, Hunk of love or squoosh, they looked at me strangely.
By the time circle time rolled around one asked me "Do you NOT know how to say our names? My name is C-O-V-I-N."
"No, I do know how to pronounce your names, I just prefer to call you squish face."
"Oh...um...okaaaay?but...WHY?"
"Because I am your teacher and I want too... and In my class you never ever argue with the teacher."
"Okay then."
At circle time I sat on the floor and stared into 6 strange new faces. "Hello children. I am Mrs. Beanie."
"Beanie?...like...a bean?"
"Yes."
"Is that your real name though?"
"Yes."
He stared at me and half smiled "I have never heard of that name before."
"Well, I have never heard of the name Covin before either. But now I have...and so we move on."
During circle time I sang and the children stared. Half heatedly clapping, all the while glancing at one another.
I felt like I was in another dimension.
"What do you want to do today children? What shall we learn about?"
"You're the teacher...that is sorta up to you."
hmmmmm...
When a 5 year old talks to you like he is 35 it is...unnerving. quite.
We moved forward and I spent the remainder of the day observing the kids and watching their mannerisms.
They didn't seem to have a sense of humor. I tried joking....nothing. I tried making silly faces...Nada....I made up silly songs that rhymed quite brilliantly....ZILCH.
On the way home, I stared at Brandee. "I quite feel like city mouse visiting country mouse." And She agreed.
But here's the thing...these children...were POLITE. Asking to please be excused before leaving the table, These kids were SIMPLE...Singing the 10 little Indian song with happiness. A song I had not heard since my OWN childhood.
I did not want to ruin them. What if I sang a silly song and they turned into beasts who punched their friends in the crotch and flipped me the bird.
They were innocence. Raised....differently, almost as if they were in a different time. A simple time. Where a good time was making sand angels and playing badmitton.
Two weeks passed by and when one certain child came into our class the whole class greeted him as such "GOODMORNING HUNK OF LOVE!" I smiled, and so did his mom.
A month passed and a child asked "Beanie...is it Friday yet?"
"Nope...almost"
"Oh gooood. Cuz I wanna do the booty shake Friday dance."
I smiled.
When Star Wars Day came, I announced that we would be making star wars masks and reenacting light saber fights. They stared. "What is Star Wars?"
I gasped. I clutched my chest "You do not know what star wars is children?"
"No."
"Your parents have done you a great disservice."
Just then my hunk of love arrived. The children told him it was star wars day and he grinned. "OH YEAHHHHH!" he achieved a fist pump and after telling him that they had never seen star wars, I instructed him to teach circle time while I furiously traced out Darth Vador masks.
Within 30 minutes the children asked me if they could use markers as light sabers. "Absolutely...but if Mr.Juan comes, you hide them."
"Agreed." My hunk of love nodded
I have made every single one of my students hug me every single day. "Why do you need hugs so much?" one asked me "Because you are children, and YOU need hugs...every single day."
"We do?"
"Indeed."
Two months into my new job, and every single day...is a happy one. The children fight over who gets to sit next to me at lunch. They bring me star-wars stickers and fill me in on the episodes they have watched now.
They gladly march on the wooden porch and sing yet another song about Juan.
They hold up their fingers and believe that they become invisible.
They answer me when I ask them what they want to learn about today.
They sing with me at circle time and laugh at me when I snort.
My cabinet is filling up with star wars coloring pages made for me, with love.
They hug me, without me asking, and tell me I am pretty.
When a new student came and accidentally called me "Mrs. Beemie." Covin corrected him "It is BEANIE...not Beemy...get it right!"
"Covin. Be nice. Remember how YOU reacted to my name my first day?"
He smiles shyly. "Well yeah...but that was different."
"How so?"
"I didn't love you then."
