No, really, are you SERIOUS?

I am a relatively obedient person when it comes to laws, rules and regulations. We got a memo at work saying that we need to keep children supervised at all times. Ok, that is a given. What I was not aware of (and apparently neither was anyone else around me) was that we need to keep them in sight at all times...this includes the bathroom. Now the usual way that I take my class of 4 year olds to the bathroom is this...we go to the restroom area. I scope out the bathrooms (peeking in boys room then girls) just to make sure no "Bad" adults are in there. Then I stand in the hallway where I can see the entrance to both bathrooms and I send the little tikes in 3 at a time. I am supervising the ones that are on the outside, while keeping an ear out for any mischief in the bathrooms. There are no other doors in the bathroom and I am certain there are no magical portals either! So when we get a memo saying we must go into the bathroom in order to have the children in sight at all times, we (yes, all the teachers feel the same) start to grumble. Some in fact are mortified that we have to stand in the boys bathroom and watch the little boys as they are peeing into the urinal! Not our idea of giving these little guys privacy to do their "business". Our view is that if no harm can come to them, we are supervising in a way that should be appropriate. This is an interpretation of a rule set out by the Department of Social Services. There was a meeting (all I can really say) of the muckity mucks and it was brought up as a point in this meeting. So the interpretation is not a mistake on the part of the Social Services person that came out. What I would like to know is why. Why is it so neccessary to watch the children in the bathroom? They never gave a reason and I don't know why no one asked. The teachers all asked but got no answer. Because there was none. So now we have to have an additional person to split up the boys and the girls and they have to remain in the bathroom after finishing and washing their hands so that we can keep an eye on them and the little ones going potty. It is hard enough to get the kids in and out of the bathroom, now we are forcing them to wait IN the bathroom (near sinks, and paper towel dispensers), until everyone is done. We don't have an extra person that just stays at the restroom the whole time and there isn't a plan to get someone either. So before one of the kids can go to the bathroom, we have to call someone on the radio to come so we can have this child go to the bathroom. Of course there are times when we have to wait for someone. My question is this...what is worse, sending a child into a bathroom alone, or having them pee their pants in front of their friends? Comments welcome.

It's Baaaad, but I like it! (but only once in a while)

So, I was raised in a pretty strict household when it came to food. Very little sugary snacks, cereals etc. We also ate with little extra fat like gravy or sauces. My mom is a great cook and so was my dad. We ate good and healthy for the most part. We didn't really eat a lot of pork, other than sausages (but that was the german part of us), and none of us were that fond of pork chops or pork loin anyway. I don't cook a lot of pork either, it just isn't my favorite. If I am going to eat pork, I would rather have bacon or black forest ham. We don't have it that often and it is considered more of a treat than candy. So when Carl came home the other day with a "no brainer" meal (which is what I asked him to get, so one night of the week would be an easy meal) he brought back "pulled pork" from Costco. Now, I don't really know what you are supposed to do with pulled pork, so he explained what HE will be doing with it, and we can do the same or a couple of other things. Well, the photo is what I did with it...which incidentally was what Carl suggested. A nice kaiser type roll, barbeque sauce on the bottom, pulled pork on that and then a nice coleslaw on top of that topping it off with the other half of the kaiser roll. Now, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the nice combination of flavors! It isn't something I would do that often, but it made me feel like I was at one of those places you see on tv for their awesome sandwiches. So, it was a success. I am not trying to push this on anyone mind you, just wanted to share. : ) So all you vegetarians out there, no negative comments please! You don't have to eat it! : )

Consequences vs. Compliance

As a preschool teacher at a private school, we have a little more control over our classes due to the fact that our director supports us in our disciplinary actions. There are, of course, things we cannot due by law, but we can do some things that other schools cannot because they are more about "self esteem building", than modifying bad behavior. In my class we use a "Clip Chart". This is a chart with faces and words that describe where each child is on that day. On Monday, they begin at "Hello" and can either work their way up to "Outstanding" or move down to "Sad Day". There are seven slots ranging from "Sad Day"(the bottom) to "Outstanding" at the top. In between are those like, "Great Effort", "Good Work", "Try Harder" and "Think about it". Each day they are in school is an opportunity to "Clip Up" or "Clip Down". For each day when we have a specialty teacher like Perceptual Training (little kid PE) or Music they will get "clipped up" if they obey and behave. They do not get clipped down if they don't behave. They will get clipped down, however, if they hurt someone, break something on purpose, disobey in a manner that is way defiant and other things that may be to the teacher's discretion.

I try really hard NOT to clip down, it is hard on a 4 year old, and they may not always understand why even if we explain. There are times that I have clipped kids down and they get upset but that is what the clip chart is for, to teach them what is unacceptable behavior. At the end of the week if they are in either "Great Day" or "Outstanding"(the two top spots on the chart) they will receive something out of my "Treasure Box". They look forward to this a lot!

Now, in some instances, I am sure I have given a child treasure box when they shouldn't have gotten it, but if they are on the fence, and they can redeem themselves I will help them to acheive the goal. Most of the time, all the kids in my class will get treasure box. This year, unfortunately, there has been a child that has missed treasure box quite a few times with no chance to redeem himself. It is difficult and he gets upset, but after talking to his mother, and understanding more about how this child works, it seems to be the best thing for him. (By the way, it is not the child in the photo). So, I continue to work on the behavior as best I can and I will be praying for the teacher that gets him next year in Kindergarten. Think about how difficult it will be for her to watch him out of 20 kids instead of 10! I will be praying hard!

I cannot imagine how hard it would be for this child in the public school system. We are able to teach about God and His love at our school and it is a great help in teaching the Why factor. Why should we behave? Why should we not hurt our friends? Why is it important to do our best?

We can also pray with the children and ask for God's help in doing good. Believe me, it makes a difference! This child will have a hard time no matter where he goes but at least the teacher will understand better and will be able to pray for and with him!

Ack! Here we go again!

Well, this was a cute animation that waved it's hands and stuck out it's tongue but this will do anyway.

The time has come once again, to do the waiting game. As usual I am in limbo when it comes to what I will do at my school next year. It is actually a lot better as I don't think I will have to move rooms again unless I make a decision that warrants it. Right now, I am teaching M-W-F four year olds. Three days a week which allows me to receive a 30% discount on tuition for my kids. Last year, they dropped one of the Monday thru Friday four year old classes because there were not enough enrolled. This year enrollment seems to be a little better and they may reinstate that class which is where I am located right now. I moved from another room last year, hoping I would work 5 days, but ended up still working 3 days in the 5 day room.

Sorry if this gets confusing. So now, if they open up another 5 day 4 year old class, I would basically be first in line and I am already in the room. This would be really beneficial, money wise because with 5 days I would receive a 50% discount on our kids tuition. Big difference!

So since enrollment lasts until late March and we have a lot that can happen even as late as the summer months, I am basically waiting to see how enrollment goes to see what I will be doing next year, 3 or 5 days. If I work 5 days there is much more prep work that I will have to do so I am starting now! Just in case. I will miss my two days off during the week, but the money outweighs all my trivial wants! So if you are in a praying mood, pray that this is the right thing for me this year and that the enrollment is such that it all works out!