Full Circletime.

I sat at circle time with my "booger picker"wand and an audience of teeny tiny faces.

"How many have been tested for kindergarten?"

Half of my class raised their hands. The other half shifted nervously on their bottoms.
"I want you to remember to do your BEST when you are tested. This is what you have been working all year for. Please DO NOT tell the teacher that you do not KNOW, when you DO know."

I glowered at a certain boy genius who had done just that. A boy who can look at a, 'E' and exclaim with boredom "Capital E, Ehhhh, Excellent"

The boy who was being growled at shrank, but only by a bit.

"If you are intelligent....show it off. You go to school at Buhach Preschool...YOU are an example of excellence and I am proud of all of you."

They smiled and a few children yelled out "I love you Mrs. Beanie!"

"I love you too. But not when you fart."
 They giggled and snorted and one or two farted, (just to prove me wrong.)

This is why I love circle time. It is my favorite part of the day. It is not for simply reading stories and singing songs. It is where confidence grows and bonds are made. It is where children talk about what is on their heart, in their dreams and what they are most excited for.

Spring cometh,
And with Spring comes that time of the year that I get to revel in, That I enjoy the most.
My classroom runs like a well snotted machine and the Fall is but a distant memory....

Fall....*groan* or the gathering of wool.

The beginning of the year brings me my dirty, knotted, raw (albeit CUTE) wool. It has yet to be washed, carded or spun.

My class of 28(ish) does not know how to line up, recognize their name or put things back where they first found them.
It's kind of chaotic, and I run around like the dragon lady breathing fire and my famous adage: "In Pre-K we don't..."  and can include any number of things including, but not limited too...

"In Pre-K we don't stick our fingers in our butts and then try to hug our teachers."(true story)

"In Pre-K we don't act like animals... Unless it is national act like animals day."

"In Pre-K we don't whine. We speak like we mean it."
(although once, while whining a child argued "Yeth I am whining....but I MEAN it.)
Who can argue with that?

In Pre-K we are ladies and gentlemen and are kind to everyone. My class is biased, The Strongest, fastest and strongest THING that you can BE is a lady. Sorry gents, you are amazing and all...but Beanie is all about Girl power.

Monday I had a little girl walk up to me mumbling and teary eyed.

"I am sorry, I cannot understand you love. Perhaps you can speak like a lady and we will figure it out."

Her tears were wiped, her shoulders raised and in a clear strong voice she told me what the problem was. I was so proud.

Yep. Ladies rule the world. Last week I had a boy ask me if he could be a lady when he grew up.

"That is a discussion for your parents and a surgeon my friend." I replied.
 He nodded and we moved forward.
____________________________________________

"MRS.BEANIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" a little girl cried. Tears fell. "Nicolas says I cannot be a lady!"

"Hmmm." my brow scrunched up and I turned to Nicolas for explanation.

"WELL we are playing Spiderman! She can be the black Spiderman she cannot be a lady. Ladies do not make webs!"

"Nicolas, Ladies make human life. We form BRAINS in our bodies. Don't you think that being able to create a human being is a liiiiittle more powerful then creating a web system?"

"WELL." Nicolas started...then seeing that both Addison and I were standing with our hands on our hips (Addison was tapping her toe) "She can always be a Lady Spiderman then..." He said turning around with a slump in his shoulders and yelling to his friends "Addi is ganna be spiderlady... she can make brains."

Addison and I smiled at each other. "And THAT is how you handle THAT." I winked at her.

"YEP!" She shouted, hugging me quickly before running off to play Spiderlady. (Like a BOSS)




In the Spring, the flowers bloom and my little dirty wool balls have been cleansed, carded and spun into beautifully well lined skeins of yarn. Not bound tightly, but loose and neat and ready to be woven into well taught individuals.

On Friday at 4:30 I stood in my class with my hands clasped behind my back and I realized, as I looked around, that it was unnecessary for me to do so.

My children had come in, hung up their hoodies and retrieved their activity of choice. They were building machine guns, Cutting pictures from magazines and coloring papers.

I sat down on the floor and looked around.

I watched my kids play and argue and come to resolutions. I watched them apologize and laugh with each other and put everything back where they found it.

I saw one child fall and another help her up and ask her if she was okay.

I saw one girl exclaim that she had no friends, and another offer to let her play with her group.

I saw a child's shoe untied and watched another kneel down to tie it, all while chatting and laughing with each other.

I am always trying to take the time to look UP, into the sky..at the world, enjoying each moment that life gives me.
This day I was enjoying sitting down and watching all of the hard work that my children have done come to pass.

This is how Kindergarten testing should be done. By sitting in a classroom and observing amazing.