Crazy Days

Every day is a full day in the early childhood world. Amy and I start our days at 4:45 or so and are at school by 6:00. First thing on the agenda is making the coffee...feeding the cats...getting the kitchen ready for the day. While Amy prepares the scratch dessert to be eaten at 4:00 later that afternoon, I head off to the zoo room to make sure nobody is ill, and no one has gotten into trouble the night before. Usually, I dig out one section of the room, clean most of the surfaces, sweep, and then prepare to feed the animals the following: a half head of lettuce, several long carrots, a shovel of cockatiel seed, safflower seeds, sunflower seeds, rabbit cookies, chinchilla cereal, peanuts, crackers, cookies, and timothy. The animals chase me out of the room while they delight in their breakfast.

The first cup of coffee is ready and snack is in the oven. Pause.

Now it's time to get ready for breakfast. The first children arrive through the back door... it's early but there are special considerations... Miss Amy and I share the breakfast duties. Sometimes she switches gears and prepares delicious muffins and coffee cake, and sometimes I slice bread for French toast. Pancakes on Fridays...all done before seven a.m.

Checking the check in for Step Ahead, changing the roster for the day, putting mail where it needs to go, getting the notes to parents that need to go, deploying the mail from the day before, checking the calendar...are still quiet parts of the day.

Then the doorbell rings and the children begin to come to school. With every child, there are new demands. This one is going home with this person; this one needs to leave at 2:00; this one was puny the evening before, so watch him; this one was a nightmare for mom and deserves no medal...and the day begins to roll.

The bacon needs to be put into the oven...the toilet in the girls room has just emptied onto the floor...the phone rings and the State has changed it's mind about the upcoming inspection...the fish tank looks suspiciously unhealthy...second cup of coffee...it's 7:30, and another teacher arrives - Miss Dayna.

By 8:30, the school has filled with little voices, there have been eighteen crashes of toys, but teachers never flinch unless it's a head that goes down with the toy...dozens of conversations have occurred with parents about any number of things...this morning I taught a wonderful parent how to crochet. It's now breakfast time.

The bell rings, the children all stand still and listen to the plea to get toys picked up. There is some discussion about throwing our dishes and dress up clothes on the floor...one child will not attend to business and loses his medal with a frown and a scolding word. Before we finally assemble on the carpet, tables are scrubbed, sanitized and set. Kids are busy with geography...where and what, and then it's time to wash hands, call roll, pray and eat. Miss Lisa walks in.

"What have you eaten" is our meal eating incentive that follows every meal. This is an opportunity for children to speak publicly attest to what they have accomplished and voice an opinion. "I ate my breakfast and drank my milk," repeat about sixty-five percent. They are in the running for the prizes at the end of the week. Miss Dayna finishes with a roll call, and then we disperse to the carpet again for circle time which involves discussion, a prayer, the Pledge and the Star Spangled Banner. Children are expected to recite, to sing, to answer questions.

Class time runs an hour and a half. Teachers teach and Miss Judy usually has a project. Today I rebuilt the Degu house, made a quiche for lunch. Yesterday I hung artwork on the ceiling and watered all the plants. I might clean a set of toys, mop a stubborn floor or make something special in the kitchen. It's not unusual to have phone calls, inquiries, paperwork, cleaning or a sick or badly behaved child to manage. Lists of things to do, things to buy, errands, and records are done in this slot. Report cards need to be filled out this week.

It's also not unusual for any number of people to walk in unannounced including the health inspector, the USDA CCFP food inspector, the fire marshal, the welfare department, the police, and any other official who might need to ask, seek, or make an announcement.

At 10:30 it's time to cook again. When you cook from scratch, there is always something to do ahead of time. Today I made egg rolls and chicken fried rice. Fifty egg rolls needed to be stuffed and rolled. Chicken was cooked and pre-cut.

Recess is at 11:00 and children will once again make a gigantic mess. And there are messes in the kitchen, the bathrooms, the playroom while people come in a steady stream with questions or just needing to talk. Time to feed the cat's again.

Lunch is at 12:00. Music is at 12:30. While dishes are done and garbage removed, Miss Amy and I are teaching music. Miss Lisa has done the dishes and is busy getting the afternoon art project ready for forty children. Miss Kara is helping. Miss Molly is answering the phone, cleaning the fish tank, and busying herself with State issues regarding inspections.

Then the children play. But play is short lived because it's time to learn again. The children gather and have a lesson about geography. They have made paper mache relief maps, and will paint them today. But first it's story time.

Painting is usually a free for all, but teachers skillfully get the most out of every child. The incredible mess is cleaned up, and the children play again.

Snack is at four and then another story time, and then quickly and quietly, the children go home one by one.

It's always a great day because we are working as a team...planning, doing, building, making, talking, teaching, problem solving and just loving the kids.