I have been where the wild things are.

<For as along as I can remember, I have always loved kids. Babies- smooshyface, belly rolls and chunky thighs, sweet little gummy smiles. I love them.

What's not to love? No drama when you're a munchkin, other than when someone steals toys from you, tries to make you go to sleep or when you're hungry.

And truth be told, I still get quite dramatic when I am hungry.

All these tiny humans want to do is play, run, and be loved.

These are my people.

This semester I have been spending A LOT of time in the classrooms, interning in many rooms ranging from pre-k to first grade.

I should have been journaling this all semester so this may be long, but unless you have been where the wild things are... you have no idea.

Room One- Kindergarten

I was all geared up to go, out the door before the sun was up, in my best "teachery" outfit and sporting my new magnetic name tag.

7:30am I walked into the music room and introduced myself to the first teacher I saw and she said to have a seat and wait because the half pints of kool-aid were finishing up breakfast and would be arriving soon.

Soon enough children were pouring into the room, backpacks that were so big they stretched from the back of their heads all the way down to their knees.

They filed in quickly and knew to sit in their class lines and the music teacher started Toy Story 3 for them to watch as we waited for the rest of the kinders to get in.

I was just watching them with hopeful eyes and was amazed to see how many divas had chapstick with them.

Five or six girls all in a huddle whipping out their Lip Smacker chapstick and putting layer after layer after layer and SWITCH and layer new one on and LAYER..

Gross.

These babies were so moisterized for kindergarten, no chapped lips.

So then I meet my assigned teacher and we all stand up to go to the room and one of the little girls says "YES! Thats the one I wanted. YOURE SOOOO PRETTY"

Heh. Winning!

-We unpack and unstack the chairs, kids grab books and sit down and then the announcements start.

-I didnt see the American flag so I was just blindly facing in the same general direction as the kids and my teacher literally positioned me in the right direction of the flag. Stupid stupid me.

-I know at one point I had to have learned the Texas Pledge, but it has sense left my mind and I still havent gotten it down, so I felt like a big dumb then too...

OH THEN THEY SAY IT ALL IN SPANISH.

I was lip synching. They had to have known. Crap.

Other than that, pretty regular room, pretty regular day with the occasional wetting of the pants and when being told to go change in the nurse "because, babe, you had an accident, you need dry pants" they couldnt understand the importance. These pants seem fine.

Oy.

When they are in "lecture" or listening to a story they all sit on a big huge rug of North America. \

Well, all but one.

He sits in on the tile in a blue taped off square.

Which I thought was super sad and not fair until about... 8 seconds of being in the classroom and watching him stand up, sit down, spin around on his back, sit like a frog, kick his feet up, make bathroom noises, go get a pencil, put pencil back, do a handstand.... and repeat.

You get the picture? He was in no condition to sit in close proximity to other tinytots.

The amount of time telling this little boy to get it together was exhausting. It was like he literally could not control the movement of his body.

Wild.

One sweet boy in the class loved trains.

Loved.

Trains.

And living here- they go by about every 15 minutes and I almost cannot even hear them anymore. But when that locomotive came by-silent or not- this little boy would stand up and look out the window and watch the entire thing go by.

Not move.

Not talk.

Not even cause a scene.

But he HAD to watch it go by.

On the playground- mid power ranger game, if he heard it even TRYING to sneak by he would immediately turn to stone and watch the train go by.

I finished my 3 weeks there and thought there was no way I could ever do kinder. They're just too small.

HONEY HUSH, KINDER IS A QUITE DINNER AT WITH THE PRESIDENT COMPARED TO...

PRE K.

I arrive at my new school, meet my new teacher and class and am told that this is an ESL/ELL based school.

Meaning the children speak spanish or english or both (if you're lucky)

The lessons and instruction was taught in both languages. 

Which is fine, I can figure out spanish words in pre-k. Cake.

We are walking back to the room in a singlefile-hands behind your back-bubbles in your mouth line and I am watching this little girl LICK her hands all the way back to the room.

Who does she head straight for when we get to the room?

Me.

All dripping, germy fingers ablaze and headed straight for me.

EH.

"GO.

WASH.

YOUR.

HANDS.

And wait, come here a sec.. what that on your head? Oh... glazed donut? You had donuts this morning? That's why you're licking your hands clean like a cat? Right. GO WASH."

I am going to go bathe in antibacterial gel.

Love these kids, they mean well. They just want to be loved but they are some of the most disgusting co-workers to deal with.

Now let me take you to a place deep in the heart of Austin.

A place where "letting kids be kids" really exsists.

Where your work attire is the same clothes you would throw on to paint your house or clean out a garage.

A place where I belong.

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This school was actually founded by one of my professors- one of the most enchanting men I have ever met. Full of life and love for kids and truly believes that kids are mini researchers and if you let a child discover on their own they will learn much more than you can spoon feed them.

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Children are given this HUGE playground to play on ALL day (aside from lunch and nap) where there is a rope swing, 20+ bikes of all sizes, sand, "potion", balls, shovels, dolls, trucks, play houses, big boxes, and most apparently...

Kids going WILD.

If I could get everyone I know to visit this school, I would be so happy. There is no way to describe how free these kids are.

Wanna take your shoes off? Cool. Do it!

Wanna run around in your underwear? No prob.

Wanna paint your face? Paint the fence? Paint eachother? Okay!

While I can see that this school would not fit everyones perception of a good preschool. This is everything I could have ever dreamed of.

When the kids are in a conflict or crying or really anything.. instead of the teachers jumping in and pulling them apart and diffusing the problem, the teachers are right on their level talking to ALL the kids no matter the age like little adults.

Oh he hit you? Man, that hurts doesnt it? Did you say you didn't like that? Did you YELL and say you were angry with him? Maybe he doesnt know he hurt you. Want to go talk to him and say how you feel? Lets do that.

Wanna just sit here and relax? Okay, thats okay too.

Like I said, I cant describe it to you. You just have to witness it.

But it works! These little kids are learning to communicate with eachother, deal with bullies, and use their words to say how they feel.

Its amazing.

Today was only the first day and I am absolutely blown away. I will definitely keep you posted. But I hope its obvious how happy I am.

This is something truly special.