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I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers. Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.
*******Our walk today was only two blocks long,
on a bright, sunny, though somewhat crispy, cold day.
(40 degrees, I think? Not much wind...
not too bad from my perspective...
I thought the fresh air would do us all some good).
But when we got to the furthest point away from school,
I had three preschoolers
who could not be soothed,
who began to repeat the most annoying mantras,
who didn't care how their words and actions affected the rest of us.
Over and over,
all the way back to school,
making the walk feel so, so, so long,
as they repeated,
and repeated
and repeated:
Child One [refusing to zip up his coat or put on his gloves from his pocket] - I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold. I am cold.
Child Two [pulling the walking rope to stop the entire line of classmates] - I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to.
Child Three [walking backwards]-Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that?
To me, at the front of the line, I heard:
I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. Why are you saying that? I am cold. Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I am cold. Why are you saying that? I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. Why are you saying that? I am cold. Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I am cold. Why are you saying that? I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. Why are you saying that? I am cold. Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. I am cold. Why are you saying that? I am cold. I don't want to walk this far and I am not going to. Why are you saying that? I am cold. Why are you saying that? Why are you saying that? Idon'twanttowalkthisfarandIamnotgoingtoIamcoldIamcoldWhyareyousayingthat
Idon'twanttowalkthisfarandIamnotgoingtoIamcoldIamcoldWhyareyousayingthat
Yes, it was dreadful.
**************
(A daily share by preschoolers in their own words)
A Story Collage by Zuren
The Daddy is trying to get out of a cave. And the bear is
blocking him. He jumps over him, but the bear is too tall for him to jump over
and he keeps blocking him. Then the monster, he was so mean, he just got so
tall and he got higher and higher until he touched the sky. The monster is in
the cave. But there is a good guy in the cave. He was trying to get the monster
out of the cave so Daddy can go and fix his car. The End
I have heard some similar nonsense in kindergarten. Sometimes all we can do is pray for patience... Or hope that if we grow old and crazy, these kids might work in our retirement homes wher we can say, Idon'twanttowalkthisfarandIamnotgoingtoIamcoldIamcoldWhyareyousayingthatIdon'twanttowalkthisfarandIamnotgoingtoIamcoldIamcoldWhyareyousayingthatIdon'twanttowalkthisfarandIamnotgoingtoIamcoldIamcoldWhyareyousayingthat
ReplyDeleteOh you poor dear! That sounds wretched. Nothing is worse than the stuck record. And three at once!? It makes you feel like a piece of prey cornered by a pack of predators. I hope you were able to get back to a peaceful room sooner or later.
ReplyDelete