...and we're off!

Wow--time sure does fly when you're having fun! Or when you only have a little more than two hours to teach Kindergartners. Both classes were super cute and I am amazed at the difference in climate between the two. The afternoon class is smaller ( I am now at 23 in the morning and 18 in the afternoon), but there is also a huge difference in personalities. Don't get me wrong--I have some very funny/interesting/quirky/sassy/sharp kiddos in both sessions, but the mood was just different in the afternoon than it was in the morning. There were a few that just cracked me up!

For the most part the kids did great. Yes, there was a lot of calling out and interrupting and a lot of kids asked me when we were going to have snack (we don't) and when we were going to the playground (we don't), but both groups did a great job of learning to come to the carpet and sit on the letters when they hear the good morning song (by the Beatles) and how to "Give me Five." They followed directions, were excellent volunteers during our daily math routine (which was pretty fun) and the day was a success. There were some bus issues with the AM group, but I am happy that none of them were my fault (except the one kid who I didn't send on the bus after his mom and I specifically talked about how he was going to try it even though he was down as a parent pickup). The others were not my fault and that is a good feeling because I hate mix-ups that result in frantic parents wondering where their children are! Note to new teachers, especially Kindergarten teachers, or anyone dealing with lots of little kids---WRITE IT DOWN! Luckily the mom that got called to come get her child because I thought he was a pickup was very nice and wasn't upset.

It would seem like the bus routine after the AM session would be easier since there are only 3 buses, but surprisingly things went more smoothly in the afternoon when the Kinders go on the same buses as the big kids and there are about 8 or 9 different buses. My little PM friends were rocking a straight line and nobody wandered away. Sweet!

When the morning session was over, I was thinking to myself, Icannotimagingdoingthisagain! The afternoon was 20 minutes shorter because school lets out earlier all this week, so it really went by fast. It was a little more relaxed with fewer kiddos and I really enjoyed that group. They are adorable. Both groups are adorable, but the afternoon group has a few kiddos that I know will make an impression on my heart this year. It's just easier with fewer kids! Not that 23 is that many compared to classrooms that have 30 or more these days, but each Kindergartner is kind of equivalent to 2 students who already understand how school works. 

During the math routine we talked about the number 1. A major goal of Expression is for kids to gain number sense so we discussed what we had one of on our face. We mentioned that we have one nose and one mouth and one cutie said we also have one head and one brain. (He got a high five for that!). When I used the number cards to have them point to the number 1, I tried to trick them by holding up a 2 and a 3 and they were not fooled! Smarties already!

I only had a few criers, but they both ended up doing just fine as the time went on. I thought a few parents were going to stay the whole time, but I only had to breakdown and ask one to leave since over 30 minutes passed and she was still there. She was okay with it and I made sure to call her after school to let her know that her kid did just fine! It's so important for parents to just leave, even if it makes them sad, because staying just drags out the crying. Most often, as soon as the parent leaves, the kid adapts and does just fine!

Lots of rambling in this post, but it was a jumble of busyness today and I had lots to post about! Looking forward to another day with my new friends and to getting to know them better. I can already tell there are several kiddos who are very smart and who will be advancing quite quickly! I will have to start writing down their quotes....and I wish I could recall the direct quotes (plural) about Jesus during circle time.