Teaching Kindergarten … it’s not all flowers and butterflies
Today was a very difficult day. I truly love teaching—don’t get me wrong—but some days I just want to cry myself to sleep. I’ve been teaching for 15 years, and it seems harder and harder to teach 5- and 6-year-olds. It’s not just about delivering the curriculum anymore… I literally have to entertain them. I’ll admit I use the traditional call-and-response: “One, two, three, all eyes on me,” and they reply, “Four, five, six, my eyes are fixed.” That works for the first month… and then what? “If you hear me, clap once.” I have a whistle, a drum, and now I’m even considering getting a doorbell.
This past summer I went to the GYTO professional development, and they had some great ideas—but the level of energy you have to sustain all day feels almost impossible. Have you ever heard of whole brain teaching? I love it, but by the end of the day I just want to go home, crawl under the covers, and fall asleep before I even eat dinner. It’s crazy to me that for these kids to learn, I feel like I have to keep them entertained every second of the day.
I really need to figure this out, because I do love the actual art of teaching. I love creating themed centers, and I love teaching children how to read. On social media it looks like every teacher has it all figured out, but I have to remind myself that those are just snapshots—not everyday reality—and that all teachers have good days and bad days. Today was a bad one for me, but I have to admit that writing it down already makes me feel a little better.