Monday, November 9, 2009

Reaching the Heart of a Child

I've been at my new job for one month. I can't believe it's only been that long, because it feels longer than that. It's been great. Exhausting, but great. I'm so happy with where the Lord has placed me. I never would have pegged myself as a preschool teacher, but I dare say I almost feel like I was made to do this and doing so feels like putting on a comfortable glove. It just fits.

My interactions with the children are immediate and the bond that develops between myself as caregiver/teacher with children at this age is very strong for them. They are so little, only three or four and they hunger for love, attention and affection all day. Some are more needy than others and that's okay too.

There is one little girl there who I have to admit is so darling. She's a scrappy little thing. Not too skinny, not to fat. She starts out everyday looking clean and presentable but by the end of the day, she looks like a tornado. Her hair is a mess and her clothes are dirty. She has taken quite a shining to me and I must confess the feelings are mutual.

Anyway, we hadn't seen each other because the H1N1 was flying around our school and she was sick and then I was sick so I hadn't seen her in over a week.

So today, when I walked back into class and saw her she came barreling over to me at full force and threw her arms around me and for the first time ever she said to me "I love you." "Come and read to me." She said. So I walked over to the couch and sat down with her and began to read. She then interrupted me. "Hug me!" She demanded. So I hugged her. The whole time I read she made sure she was touching me. As I turned the pages she kept her little hand upon my hand. It was adorable.

Today we read books. Did arts and crafts. Did circle time and I read to them about a spider. We sang "The Mighty Duke of York". We had lunch where one little girl insisted that the core of my apple was in fact a pickle and we had a nap. (Well, not me, they did.) That was a typical first half of my morning.

Not bad.

Now if you'll excuse me, I hear these cookies calling my name....

3 comments:

Susan Skitt said...

Precious! Sounds like a good fit! So, I'll be looking for that children's book one day, maybe we can write one and go on tour together?

~**Dawn**~ said...

I *loved* working with kids. It may be exhausting & demanding but the rewards are rich. I still think about "my babies" and the youngest group I had will be turning 11 soon, middle-schoolers. Insane. If it would pay the bills, I would still do it in a heartbeat. But it doesn't. (Even though sometimes it feels like I still do, only my charges are nowhere near as cute.)

Carol said...

Oh, I just loved this one. It sounded so special and so precious! Thanks for writing it down!!