This is Alaina’s first year of pre-school, and overall it’s gone very well. She goes for three hours, three days a week, which is probably enough for her at this point, if not necessarily for us. She is very extroverted, so there has never been any separation anxiety. Our only problems seem to come when it is time to go home. She enjoys learning, has new friends to play with and likes her teacher.
This last one is probably the most important. Kayla is having a much more successful year in high school after transferring, and liking her new teachers seems to play a big part in this. Smaller class sizes and slightly less drama help as well.
I can’t imagine a job that I would dislike more than teaching. Having to deal with snotty little know-it-alls is hard enough when you know that you are responsible for their existence. I can’t imagine several dozen of these a day. By the nature of my job, everyone that I deal with daily is either sick or injured, the times when people are at their worst. Over 20+ years, I’ve seen severed limbs, childhood cancers, people expire right in front of me. I’ve been puked on, peed on, and on occasion, shat on. I wouldn’t last a week as a teacher.
If I had to switch places for a day though, pre-school seems the way to go. At least the general cuteness of most of the children would help balance out the inevitable frustration. As long as they seem to be making some progress with their letters and nobody gets bitten, most parents are going to be content with the job you’re doing. I’m sure there is much more to the job than this, but my kid is making good progress with her letters and hasn’t been bitten, so I’m content.
The one time I feel a pre-school teacher has a harder time than their counterparts in higher grades is when it comes time for parent-teacher conferences. Sitting at those small desks across from actual adults as you discuss their toddler’s development seems particularly awkward. I don’t know at what age parents begin to appreciate that their child has individual strengths and weaknesses, but at age three your own is still the cutest, smartest, and most well-behaved child in the world. Your biggest worry is that they may miss out on being President because of foolishly pursuing a career in modeling or brain surgery. No parent wants to hear any different.
We just returned from a conference with Alaina’s teacher, which was pretty uneventful. Apparently, she is the cutest, smartest, and most well-behaved child in her class.
At least that is what I think she said. Those chairs are very uncomfortable.
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Originally published on Musings of a Thirsty Daddy
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