On Being Different
Five months of working at the preschool, not one kid asked me why I look different or why do I have an accent. There was only one time that my being ‘different’ was mentioned. I was reading the book entitled ‘It’s Okay to be Different’ to a five-year-old kid, when I pointed to myself and said, “Your hair is blond and mine is black. We’re different.” He looked at my eyes and told me with all the sincerity he could muster, “I like you because you’re different.”
On Friendship and Forgiveness
A kid screamed and I asked what happened. She said that her best friend told her that ‘She’s breaking up with her and they’re no longer friends’. I tried to explain that when she says those words, she hurts her friend’s feelings. She answered me, “It’s okay. I only said it but I still love her.” After a while, they were playing happily again. For them, forgiveness comes easy.
For being small, they could be very persistent.
1st Kid to the 2nd Kid: I love you and I will marry you.
2nd Kid: I will marry you, too!
3rd Kid to the 2nd Kid: No, I will marry you!
4th Kid to the 1st Kid: What about me? I will marry you!
5th Kid: My mom and dad got married yesterday. I will marry, Ms. Nina!
Me: I’m already married.
5th Kid: I don’t care. I will marry you.
On Love
The purest love that you could ever receive will come from these little people with big hearts.
A five-year-old boy almost asleep takes my hand, puts it on his heart, and hugs it, “I love you and you’re my family.”
A five-year-old girl was talking excitedly about going to her grandma’s house, “My grandma has the best house! Can I bring you with me, please?”
On Settling an Argument
Three kids were talking after an argument.
Kid 1 to Kid 2: You hurt my feelings. That was not so nice.
Kid 2: No, you hurt my feelings!
Kid 3 to Kid 2: Stop it. You’re hurting her feelings. You’re being mean.
Kid 2: No, you’re being mean.
Kid 1: I’m sorry. Let’s just play.
On Death
Death is simple. It's about losing but looking at the brighter side of things.
Kid: Ms. Nina, you have four dogs, right?
Me: No, we have three.
Kid: So, if one dies it's okay. You will still have two.
Preschool can only help your child. Children gain a lot from going to preschool because they become exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes there. But, more importantly, they develop social and emotional skills and learn how to get along with other children, to share and to contribute.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more!
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ReplyDeleteI love this post! Love how you broke it down to topics On Being Different, On Friendship, etc. Great writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteI love the innocence of children. It is so pure and sweet. My kids went to pre school when they were younger and loved it.
ReplyDeleteYes. If there's another group that I would love to teach again, it is this group.
DeleteI love being around kids too. They are so innocent and honest. I was a pre school teacher for more than 8 years and enjoyed every day being 'entertained' by their laughter and innocence :)
ReplyDeleteIt was so special!
DeleteYou are the building base of the future of our world! Keep going good.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Taking a break from teaching. :)
DeleteBeing different isn't a bad thing. And everyone is different if we look at it logically. It's important for kids to learn, too! :)
ReplyDeleteBeing different is not a bad thing but it's a struggle being constantly judged based on your accent alone.
DeleteI love the way in which you drop down the topics very well. Really love your writing, Keep doing good.
ReplyDeletexo Corina
https://unbouquetdamour.com/plaids/
Thank you. :)
DeleteI've always thought that being different is what makes everyone unique in this world. "Be yourself because everyone else is taken!"
ReplyDeleteEveryone's unique and a lot of people tend to forget that so they judge constantly people who have different accent.
DeleteI love that everyone is different in their own way and I absolutely enjoyed your post! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTeaching definitely showcases how different everyone really is. I think being yourself whatever that may mean makes you unique.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteSuch a nice post, everyone is unique in there on way and you should always stay true to yourself.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is unique and other people tend to forget that.
DeleteOh those are just the sweetest kids you work with. I had a tear in my eye when the little one told you he loved you because you're different. So nice. I hope they can always be so loving and forgiving.
ReplyDeleteLove this! There is something so special about the innocence of a child. This age is great because you can start to see their little brains absorbing and processing everything. My wife teaches that age and my daughter is currently in college to become an elementary school teacher. This post reminded me of the book Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteThese are great reminders! Kids have such pure hearts and outlooks on life. It seems like it's the adults that teach them they need to accept a harsher reality to survive in the real world.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful age when their language skills develop to this level and they come out with some cracking comments. These are all such lovely examples.
ReplyDeleteI've taught preschoolers for 12 years and it was such a joy. I looked forward to each day with enthusiasm as I knew that each day was going to be different. I learnt patience, tolerance from them. They also taught me that the greatest joys come from little but valuable things. Couldn't stop crying when one student finally could count, when one could narrate her version of a story, when one got 'old ' enough to sit on the chair and not my lap.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much wisdom in that "I'm sorry. Let's just play." Playing might not be in adult regular vocabulary, but maybe life is one big play. I'm sorry...let's just go about living!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how much small children understand and how compassionate they are. Whether they stay that way is mostly up to how they are raised and the expereiences they go through, hopefully all of them stay as sweet as they are now.
ReplyDeleteTell your husband you got a new husband Mrs. Nina ....very funny kids!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely learn a lot from those cute preschoolers. I’m an adult but I could totally have used a forgiveness lesson like that because I hold grudges. Adults over-complicate life, being a kid is where it’s at
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at how caring and compassionate kids are. This post reminded of that too. Sometimes I wish we didn’t abandon that as we grow older.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best age...when kids are still sweet, genuine, and even compassionate. If only we could bottle this time and keep them this way!
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