I greeted Tuesday with so much hope and cerain enthusiasm. Nothing could ruin my almost perfect day - wearing my favorite pearls, newly polished pointed black shoes and my colorful visual aids in tow, I was more than ready to conquer the world I now share with my students.
I met my 1st graders and worked hard to make them focus on me and our lesson for the day. After 20 minutes, they were still so glued, everyone was participating and my heart was absolutely smiling. Personal triumph, I thought.
And then a scream was heard - bursting my happy bubble.
Two of my students were fighting - calling each other names and hurting each other, all because of a "trak-tora". Being the only adult in the classroom, I naturally acted as their referee - holding boy1 with my left and boy2 with my right. It was World War 3 to me and they were almost unstoppable.
And it happened. Boy1 bit my left arm and pulled my hair. It was so painful, I almost screamed my parents' name.
Oh well.
These kids are really a handful lot and very unpredictable. They make you very alert, stretch your sanity, challenge your creativity and test your patience. Teaching kids require more than wits, it takes an endless passion and genuine love for kids to be able to get through the day in a piece.
Dealing with more than 50 students (age ranging from 6-9) a day is not a walk in the park - they all have their own stories to tell, different personalities to boot and I take home priceless rewards. What with their simple gestures like smiling at me, giving me a high five, asking for my help when they cannot sharpen their pencils and tie their shoelaces right, telling me "you're cool" or "wonderful teacher", their endless list of whys and more.
Every single day is a blessing in itself and despite my personal struggles, God gave me a front row seat where I can see the beauty and experience the joy that these kids bring.
Being a corporate diva on leave can be a struggle but being Teacher Meow to these kids, makes the struggle easy to tackle.
