Dateline Boston — I’m so happy to be teaching again. Although it has been four years since my last teaching position, I have slid right back into my role as if I never had left. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
What I love most about working with 3-year-olds is teaching them things we take for granted, such as waiting for your turn and standing in a line. Granted, some adults still have trouble with these concepts (have you ever been to CVS?), but you’ve got to start somewhere.
For most of the children in our class, this is the first time they’ve been without their parents. How scary! Your primary caregivers have been with you every day of your life, and now you’ll be hanging out with these four stranger grownups and 13 other kids who are also scared. BYE! What a concept. Thank goodness we’re gentle and kind and have so much cool stuff to play with at school. Whoever invented homemade play dough, thank you. We have two kids in our class for whom English is their second language. That adds an extra bit of confusion for them. I’m proud that I now know how to say “Grandma” in Chinese. I’m working on my Korean.
We’ve been singing, talking about colors and shapes, counting, painting, and playing with sand and puzzles. Our main themes right now are fall and apples. Every day, around 2 a.m., I have visions of apples dancing in my head. How many activities can one do with apples? A lot. I always wake up hungry, craving cinnamon.
Even though there’s lots to do at school, oftentimes one can spot a child with a dazed look on his or her face. It’s a philosophical moment—“What am I doing here? Where do I belong? Is humankind helpful, harmful, or a little bit of both?” We preschool teachers are here to answer the big questions of life, and also help you if you need to go potty.
Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com
