.."kindergarten, all you need to know..."

Remember the book in the late 1980's  Everything I need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. Author Robert Fulghum hit the nail on the head with a lot of the life lessons he gleaned from the kindergarten classroom.

I was a middle school teacher in my past life. My degree and license are kindergarten -9th grade.... but I never taught in the lower elementary.

A few weeks ago, I was asked to substitute in my youngest son's kindergarten class. I was a little skeptical, not sure how he would react with me as his 'teacher' for the day... He did exceptionally well, other children who know me on a social level struggled more than my own son. (insert big smile, he has come a long way these past 9 months)

I'll admit it.... I was scared to death... the 'real' kindergarten teacher is amazing... she sings a tune & they line-up in a perfect line like ants marching along.....

So I called the expert... my mother-in-law... she had taught for nearly 40 years... she is at her best when surrounded by a handful of ankle-bitters... she launched their districts full day kindergarten and now teaches the districts pre-k program......every month she sends a large manilla envelope to my youngest with all the activities she will do with her students, she copies 6 extra sets for her young grandkids.....

She emailed me 5 'new' songs.... I had them eating out of the palm of my hand..... singing about the parts of the plant to the tune of "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" ..... and to the tune of "Hush Little Baby Don’t You Cry"-'Quiet little children don’t say a word,We’re leaving our room and we shouldn’t be heard, With hands at our side we do not talk, Stay in our line as we start to walk' .....

The class had recently visited a local greenhouse.... we had to make observations in their science journals of several different pots of violets... one without soil... one without water.... one without sunlight... one with all the essential elements of survival.

We played site word BINGO, combined magnetic letters on a cookie sheet to form words, and built towers of unifix cubes when practicing addition.

We read stories by the author David Shannon, who the class was doing an author study over.  We had carpet time, and stations: including paining, which they generously used enough tempra paint to drip on the linoleum.  The morning only students left & I dinned with the full day gang on melamine trays... enjoying tater tot casserole (ask my mom, it's still a fave) a half pint of milk and an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Lots of comical things happened that day.  Kids say the darned-est things, don't they.... one pair, a boy & girl, were partners for stations... they argued the whole time like an 80 year-old married couple... her trying to boss him around... he just smiling and nodding, until he'd had enough....

We had 'resting time' for them to lay on their mats while I read them a story.

I helped little boys make it all the way across the monkey bars while on recess duty... I helped another boy hunt for a bug for the bug house he had brought for recess that day.

I have the alarm on my iPhone set to remind me to leave to pick my own boys up from school... I have it set to quack like a duck, my brain seems to ignore a buzz or ring.... at 2:35p.m. the phone went off and one little girl exclaimed, "Mrs. Peterson, you pocket is quacking!"

I decided that all people should have recess every day.  Young and old alike... if you get some fresh air in your lungs.... play and laugh some, you will be a happier, healthier being.

I was reminded of the lessons we as grown-ups sometimes forget.....

*  Say please & thank you....
*  Be respectful of others & their property...
*  Use your ears to listen, your eyes to observe and your hand in the air to politely call attention to yourself....
*  Be thankful for your blessings, as they prayed to start and end their day, and to bless their lunch to their bodies use...

In the book of Matthew, Jesus told his apostles, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them."

What I learned from the 5 & 6 year old students that day is that they are uninhibited.... they freely wear their hearts on their sleeves. They cry when they are hurt, they laugh when they are jolly. They give hugs when they think you need one. Children give freely.

At some point in our development, probably between the ages of 10 and 20, we allow our culture and it's expectations... to "culture-ize" us ...  to rule us... to govern our thoughts and feelings.... to confine, to inhibit, to allow us to feel judged...
to make our actions guarded.... a way of sealing off our souls, to prevent judgement and embarrassment....

Over the past decade I have been on a long slow journey... I learned that I too, need to freely come to the Lord... that I need to live a life that is not hindered with societies expectations of how I should act.

I ended the day with a tootsie-pop for 'brain food' (we had worked hard) & asked each of them to give me: a handshake, hug or high five.... that's what let me know they survived!