Laugh So You Don't Cry :)

Laugh So You Don’t Cry : )

This week has seriously been OUT OF CONTROL. To try and even explain or give this crazy week justice, it would take me pages and pages of explaining my kindergarten class. So, instead of doing that, I am going to give you a list of random sayings/happenings of the last four days; and remember, this list is only the tip of the iceberg…gotta love five year olds.

*I am pretty sure I have said the words “You may not touch her there” about 100 times this week.
*This great kid in my class does this hilarious face shrugging “whoa” thing whenever I come up behind him. You probably have no idea what I am talking about, but at 5:45 in the morning when I do not want to get up I always think about this kid and how he makes me laugh so much and it gives me the energy to actually get to school.
*”Miss Abel, what we doin’?” (one of the kids said this to me after I got the class “lost” when I picked them up from art…haha.)
*So many inappropriate things I can’t even put them on here
*”He cutted!!”-every child in my class has said this at least 10 times
*”If you are not bleeding, then I do not want to hear about it.” –me, after they tattle on each other for no reason.
*”Bye Miss Abel!” –The boy in my room who can hardly speak English muttered these words to me today. I was so pumped!
*The kids singing “Fire Burning on the Dance Floor”…uh oh.

I know all of that seems crazy, because it has been, but while this week has proven to be incredibly challenging, I have learned so much and also had a lot of fun. The kids and I laugh a lot, and I am going to be sad to leave them. We have built such a relationship and I wish I could stay and watch them grow even more this year. Each one of them seems to have a hard home life, and I wish I could make it better for them. No child should have to be in the situations some of them are in. One little girl told me yesterday that her mom is very sick because in November she got in the car with her drunk ex boyfriend (who the little girl told me treated her and her mom mean) and they got in a bad car accident. Now she can’t even take care of herself, let alone her daughter and other children. The sad thing is, is that this story is only the beginning…and these children are five. Five years and they already know so much about the harshness of the world; more than I could imagine. They do not act like five year olds in any sense. They are so much stronger than that. One little boy came up to me today and told me he was hungry because at home they do not have much food. How sad. It’s stuff like that that keeps me going in, even when it is so chaotic and stressful that I think I want to quit. This experience has really opened my eyes and has made me really want to change the world haha. I know that sounds so silly and so elementary school, thinking that you will actually change the world. I know that I actually may not “change the world,” but I would like to think that I could at least change a few children’s circumstances when I am given the chance.

I know that was all heavy stuff. There have been several moments during the day and when I get back that I could cry because I am so tired and don’t know how to work with these kids. It is during those moments when the silliest thing makes me crack up…and not be able to stop! I know I laugh a lot…but this week I have been laughing so much! It has been a beautiful thing. I mean, what is better than not being able to stop laughing simply because some kid said “squiggly legs?” Well, that has been me all week. I can say that many of the best times of my days have been driving back and forth to school with three great girls where we can share our experiences and coffee. We even stopped on the way to Starbucks this week. So good. Lunch has also been great. Chelsey and I still occupy a table to ourselves in the teacher’s lounge, but we have been having a blast! I am sure you can only imagine…haha. Chelsey and I also have rooms right next to each other so we can make frequent trips to visit and laminate things together J She has been my saving grace these past few days hehe. And today when we all got in the car for the ride home we were all so excited to have a break. We definitely blasted “Sex on Fire” and let it all out…and that is when Chelsey and I could not stop laughing again. But, hey, that’s what life should be like, right?

So, when life seems slightly off (or five year olds seem out of control), try laughing…I am not kidding, it helps. And to all my education friends who are almost done with this j-term experience: go smell some construction paper and laminate something and you will feel better! :)