Kindergarten Lessons

Anna in Kindergarten in TN with her teacher Mrs. Miller

What you see in the picture left is an amazing Kindergarten teacher with patience, caring and love enough for 20 + little five year olds, and a smitten five year old girl.  That girl is my daughter, Anna.  When we moved to Tennessee in December of 2003, it was the middle of Anna's kindergarten year. I was nervous, anxious and distressed that I had to do such a thing to my five year old daughter.  I mean, kindergarten students in their first year of public school should be left alone to grow and thrive with their new friends and experiences, not be shuttled half way across the country to start over with making friends, learning a new routine and trying to understand a teacher with a southern accent!  Amazingly, Anna settled in without difficulty.  Her teacher was, I think, mostly to credit for this.  You see, Kindergarten is a crucial year, and it's not even required in most states!  This is the year when anxious parents drop their babies off at a strange place (school) to meet their new part-time "mother" (the teacher) for seven full hours and put all faith in the abilities of these unknown people and places.  It's the foundation for the next 12 years of those children's schooling career.  It's an act of complete trust on the part of the parents... and I may soon be launched back into that trust circle, but as the teacher, not the parent.

I have been waiting, none too patiently I might add, for a call for an interview.  None came until a few days ago, and I have to admit that to my dismay I discovered it was a for a Kindergarten position.  Now, when you've been waiting months for a call for an interview, you don't turn anything down, even if it's your LEAST favorite grade.  After all, an interview does not automatically mean a job is to follow.  I taught Kindergarten 15 years ago; it was my first teaching position.  I'm not sure if it was because it was my first year of teaching or because it was Kindergarten, but that was a very hard year and one I did not want to repeat.  I've not taught Kindergarten since.  After recently spending a year and a half with high schoolers and thoroughly enjoying it, I had visions of being trapped in a small room all day playing with little kids who cry, tattle tale, speak like babies on occasion and may wet their pants.  I even posted my fears on Facebook, and soon regretted it.  After reading my own posts, I realized how horrible and unprofessional I sounded and deleted the post.  Here I am a teacher, charged with caring for children and teaching the future of our nation, and I'm really WHINING about how immature Kindergartners are??

I've spent time thinking since I realized my mistake, about what kind of teacher I am and what kind I want to be.  After surprisingly little thought, I know that I'm a teacher who wants to do her best by her students and their parents, even if (even because!) they are Kindergarten students.  Despite my momentary lapse of maturity, when it comes down to it, if I'm offered the position as a Kindergarten teacher, I will throw myself into it both for the students and for their parents.  I've been the parent dropping her child off at not one, but two new Kindergarten classrooms.  I know the uncertainty and the anxiety over how my child will be treated  by some unknown teacher.  I've been the Kindergarten teacher.  I remember the tears on the first day by both kids and parents alike, the video cameras and cameras (somewhere I'm recorded in a family's memories), and the excitement by those students to be "big" kids going to school.  It's a huge responsibility being the teacher of those children, and one I've decided I'm not willing to take lightly   I'll find out tomorrow or Monday if it will be my newest challenge.