It's been a while since I've written anything. Most people probably think I've either died or finally been sent away to the home. In actuality, I've been plagued with "end of year syndrome"... a common ailment of teachers everywhere.
The chaos of paperwork, field trips, and the mounting anxiety of children as they realize they're leaving the comfort of the nest they've known since birth and heading off to Kindergarten in the fall, is not conducive to blog writing. However, amidst the chaos also comes fodder for blogs.
One of my favorites in the "goofy things kids say" category, comes from our classroom birthday cards. We make a giant-sized card and have each child tell something they enjoy doing with the celebrant. You usually get comments such as:
"I like playing in the block area with you."
"I like playing super heroes with you."
"I want you to come to my house for a sleepover."
One of my favorites this year was, "I love you with all my heart." (A standard from one little girl, who then went on to add what she enjoyed doing with each friend.)
As scribes, we write down exactly what the children say and trust me, when we read their contributions aloud during the "birthday meeting", they let us know in no uncertain terms whether we have recorded their thoughts correctly.
So when one little boy asked me to write, "I like when you hold my buddy," it gave me pause. Do I burst out laughing or call OCFS? Yes, sometimes my mind goes straight to the gutter, (although in all fairness, we're trained to watch out for this kind of thing.) A little "you show me yours and I'll show you mine" is a natural progression of little kids exploring their world at this age and is not cause for alarm. However, we also teach children about personal space and respecting their own and others' bodies.
It took me a few days before I finally figured it out. When we are ready to line up to go outside we ask the children to "find a buddy". They choose a friend and hold hands on the way to the playground.
Yes, I could breathe a sigh of relief. He simply meant that he likes holding his friend's hand on the way to the playground.
You'd think that after 30 years of doing this, I'd have heard it all. But, no... that's what keeps me coming back. As for the saying, "Out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom?" It's definitely true. It just takes me a little while to figure it out sometimes!
