The Girl With the Hello Kitty Backpack

Inside the walls of our primary school, crowded hallways are the norm at 7:30 a.m. as hundreds of little children make their way to class. Walking those hallways is always a fun experience for me, and I always hear interesting conversations. Recently, I was chit-chatting and greeting students as I headed toward the first grade area. Hearing a gaggle of giggling girls right behind me, I turned my head to see what was so amusing. Walking down the hall in their midst was a dark-haired little boy ducking his head and smiling shyly. "Miss Mimi, I have a girlfriend," he said. "Oh REALLY, do I get to know who she is, or is that private information?" I asked. At this point in the conversation, a fair-skinned little girl with long blonde hair who was walking in front of us turned her head and glanced in our direction. She rolled her eyes slightly and gave the little boy a coy smile as he answered me in a whisper, "The girl with the Hello Kitty backpack." As both children blushed, they turned the corner and went in separate directions to their classrooms. I was left with a smile on my face and joy in my heart as I realized that I'd just seen a glimpse of an innocent first crush!

Lo Siento, No Comprende

How helpless I felt this morning, although I sincerely WANTED to do the right thing! I was on bus duty, and this is the busiest, most stressful week to have that job. The reason is that our 16 kindergarten classes are coming to school all together for the very first time. During the first two weeks of school, kindergarten students have staggered enrollment, which means that each child only comes to school one time a week. Each kindergarten teacher has around 5 children each day, which allows her to teach the routines and expectations in a more relaxed setting. So during this particular week, our kindergarten enrollment quadruples over the previous two. Add to this the fact that school is a brand new experience for these young children, which means that they're often feeling insecure and anxious, and maybe you can imagine a bit of the chaotic nature of getting hundreds of little students to their classrooms in an efficient manner and with a minimum of tears! Anyway, back to my helplessness. Mrs. Wells, our trusty bus duty leader, delivered a tiny, troubled kindergarten girl to me. The child spoke no English at all and was tearfully holding her stomach as if in pain. I figured that she, like many others, was unsure about where to go, where her teacher was, when she"d see Mommy again, and that these fears were causing her to have butterflies in her tummy. Fortunately, I had taught the little girl's class yesterday and recognized her. Since I knew who her teacher was, I led her over to the correct table, where she was supposed to sit and wait until time for class. She shook her head and cried softly but harder, and she seemed to be very hesitant to sit down. Knowing virtually no Spanish, I asked, "Bano?" which I hoped meant bathroom. She nodded her head vehemently, so I put my hand on her shoulder and walked toward the girls' room. As soon as we entered the hallway, she threw up. Bless her little heart. We all know what a horrible feeling it is to be that nauseated, and I felt terrible about not having understood. After helping her wash her face and hands, I took her to the office so someone could call her mom. After finding her a seat, I placed a trash can beside her just in case. My next challenge was to find someone who knew how to use the intercom so we could call our ESL teachers to make the call home in Spanish. It was still very early, and the office staff wasn't there yet. Just as I sent our curriculum coach to find the ESL teachers (since nobody in the office knew how to use the intercom), Carrie Arana, one of the people I was looking for, rounded the corner. Right behind her came Claudia Sanchez, who is our other ESL teacher. Together these two compassionate and helpful ladies took charge of the situation, consoling, getting the phone number, and calling home. I patted the sweet little invalid on the shoulder, gave her a smile, and said "Lo siento," which I hoped meant that I was sorry. After bus duty was over, I had time to empathize more deeply with the little girl. Like most of the other children, she was probably anxious about entering the crowded, noisy lunchroom to find a seat, wait, and get to the right classroom. Add to that the fact that she felt so sick, and then the fact that she didn't have anyone who understood her language, and it just seems like an almost traumatic way to start her second day of all-day kindergarten. I certainly could benefit by knowing some basic Spanish! I'm very grateful for our staff who works together so well, and I don't know what we'd do without Carrie's and Claudia's trustworthy assistance. In the future, I want to reach out to this sweet child, and when she learns more English (which she will quickly do), I plan to apologize to her for my lack of the kind of speedy help she needed this morning!

Honest Abe?

Have you ever impulsively said something to incriminate yourself? Well a mischievous little boy did that very thing while talking with me in my office recently. He was telling me about a classmate of whom he's not very fond and was getting all worked up. "I mean he blames me for EVERYTHING, even things HE actually did...not ME! I'm telling you that boy can LIE! He lies better than I do, and I LOVE to lie." The funny thing was that my visitor was intensely passionate about that last statement and was staring at me with wide eyes and an ultra serious stare when the lightbulb came on and he realized what he'd just said. "Busted!" I said with a grin. The child blushed, shook his head, and joined in the laughter, and afterwards we had a productive conversation about getting along with peers. To this I can relate very well, as sometimes my big mouth gets me into hot water, too!

Gee Thanks, Kid!

Some children just keep me in stitches, including a freckle-faced sandy-haired boy who comes to mind. During our very first visit together, we discussed his school, his friends, and his family as I began getting to know him. HIs parents are divorced, so he told me about his dad and step-mom and siblings. At this point, I asked whether his mom was remarried or dating someone special, and he looked taken aback. Throwing back his head, screwing up his mouth, and raising one eyebrow, he said in an amused tone of voice, "I don't really think she would DO that." "Why's that?" I asked. Bursting out into a snort, he said, "Have you SEEN her?" Although I probably shouldn't have, I cracked up. "Well that's not very nice! What do you mean by that?" I replied. "I HAVE seen your mom, and she's very cute!" Realizing that he had possibly insulted his mother, the little boy said, "Well, she's not bad, but she's just not in that good shape." My my my! I think this little guy might be just a little bit TOO honest!

Short-Term Shyness

As I walked down the hallway this morning welcoming students to their first day of a new school year, I noticed a solemn second grade boy heading my way. "Hey Miss Mimi. I'm kinda nervous," he said. "That's okay, I think lots of people are nervous today because it's the very FIRST day and they're not used to it yet," I replied. " But it'll get better fast. You'll probably be totally happy by the end of the day!" "Yeah," he agreed, flashing his trademark grin. "And then I'll turn into a WILD CHILD!" Knowing this little mischievous boy as I do, I think he's right on the money, so to his teacher, I send my very best wishes!

Rules Are Cool!

Being a greeter at our school's Meet Your Teacher day was such fun yesterday! The children were beaming and dressed in their very cutest new school clothes. Some even brought in their squeaky clean backpacks because they just couldn't wait until Monday! One of my favorite conversations happened in our school foyer with a family group including Mom, Grandma, 2 golden haired second grade girls, and their kindergarten brother, who was visiting our school as a student for the very first time. As I hugged the girls and asked about their summer, their little brother raised his hand high in the air and stood there waiting to be called on. As I turned my attention to him, he said enthusiastically, "My teacher has Legos!" His sisters joined in to explain how excited their brother was about his new kindergarten classroom. Raising his hand high again, the little boy said, "I have lots of boy Legos at home. My sissy has 100 girl Legos, but my other sissy only has 2." Grinning, Mom said, "You can tell that I deprive them terribly, can't you?" Laughing, I reassured her how obvious it is that her children are loved and nurtured. Again, the little brother raised his hand and stared at me, waiting to be called on. "I have 99 Legos, so I only need one more to have 100!" After sharing in his joy, I told his sisters how cute his hand raising was. In their adorable little girl voices, they widened their eyes, nodded their heads, and said proudly, "He went to pre-school, and they taught him to always raise his hand before he speaks." Well his teacher is certainly going to appreciate his efforts at rule following, along with his exuberant personality. Now let's just hope he continues to remember to WAIT to be called on after that hand reaches toward the ceiling!