Showing posts with label preschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preschool. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

What You Kid's Preschool Teacher Wants You To Know

1.This is not Preschool Runway. Preschool is messy and active. Hands on learning required. Save those high dollar cute outfits for the weekends when you are around to admire your fashion sense and undo the bazillion buttons and belts and ties.


2. Dress your kid in clothes he or she can get on and off independently. That $60 outfit isn't nearly as cute when it reeks of pee and is handed to you in a Walmart sack at pick-up time.


3. If your child insists on wearing dresses/skirts make sure he/she has tights and/or shorts on underneath. It is impossible to sit criss cross applesauce and not show your Dora undies.

4. DON'T LET YOUR KID BRING CRAP TO SCHOOL. I don't care if "she insisted" she needed her .....
She won't stop playing with it and it will interrupt learning. She won't want to share it and it will cause drama. It will get broken and you will be pissed at me.


5. I value your child's individuality. I DO NOT VALUE cheap ass plastic princess shoes. It makes it hard for her to run and play and interact with her friends. We have a boatload of dress up shoes in dramatic play lab.


6. I am BEGGING YOU..let your child uses scissors. You don't have to let him run with them but please expose him to scissors. Sit at the kitchen table with him and let him cut scraps of paper. This is a VERY IMPORTANT fine motor skill. In 12 years of teaching I have NEVER had a child cut their hair on my watch.



7. I am not trying to get all up in your business but if things are different at home please let us know. You would be surprised what effects children's behaviors. If we know about it we are better equipped to handle it and teach your your child skills to cope with the changes.

8. Ask your child SPECIFIC questions about their day otherwise you will be told they did nothing and they ate snack. Ask things such as "Who did you play with outside? What did you build in block lab? Tell me about circle time."



Now it's your turn. What do you wish you could tell your kid's teacher?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Roving Pack of Moms



Last week we were at the pumpkin patch with StinkBug's parent participation preschool. The nature of the program requires that each child attend with a mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/responsible adult. It is their sole purpose to interact and take complete responsibility for said child.  Our class has 11 families and I am by far the oldest parent there. I can say with complete confidence that I am older than some of the Grandmas since I saw some of them on the field trip. I am also younger than some of them.


We met at the designated location and as a class we enjoyed a bumpy, scenic hayride to select our pumpkin. After that is is a free for all...do whatever you want whenever you want and stay as long as you want. Stinkbug was thrilled to have my dad along for the adventure. We head to the nearest attraction and are greeted by a pack of scantily clad, overdressed for the Apple Jack Pumpkin Patch league Mommas chatting it up while their kids play with the duck races. I recognize several of them but they are too involved in their discussion about wine bars and hair bows to acknowledge me or to interact with their children.


The moms get bored and drag their protesting children to the next attraction. An adorable blonde little girl, dressed from head to toe in orange and black complete with tutu and striped tights, is left behind.


I recognize her from our class and wait a minute or two to see if the roving pack of slacker moms realizes they have misplaced an accessory child and will come back for her. She is happily splashing in the water and having a duck race with StinkBug. It has been several minutes now and I glance around searching for a panicked mom looking for her kid.  I stare at the parking lot willing some mom to come running realizing that she mistakenly walked away without her little girl.


Nothing. Na da. I tell my dad to look around for a 20 something gal wearing a black sweater and with shoulder length reddish brown hair.


I smile at her and say "You name is Kylie right? You are in class with us."


 "Yep" she says not even looking up from her duck race. 






"Where's your momma?" 
I ask casually so I don't freak her out.

"She took the pumpkins to the car."


REALLY? REALLY? Leaving your not yet 4 year old alone so you can haul pumpkins to the car?


It is prime field trip time and there are at least 3 HUGE school buses in the parking lot. This means hundreds of kids, parents and teachers running around. Chaos is an understatement. But this is not just for schools. Anyone-ANYONE- who pays the admission price is welcome.






Kylie didn't seem the least bit concerned that mom had strolled off and left her alone in a very crowded place. I didn't want to freak her out by leaving her with some unfamiliar senior citizen (love you dad!)  but he was there so I quietly told him of my plan and left him in charge of the two kiddos. I saw the class leaders and started walking toward them while waving to get their attention.


By now more than 10 minutes have gone by and no one has come looking for her.


 Suddenly mom realizes that her adorable little girl is missing and she is searching frantically...running back and forth between the slide and sandbox. The green shirted leaders are looking around the area but no one is making a move to notify any employees or to split up and start searching. I start running toward them (and I am NOT a runner) and am waving like a crazy woman, yelling "She's over here. Kylie is here with us."

Figuring her mom might not recognize me (since we have had only 3 classes) I tell her that StinkBug recognized her daughter from class. I explain that when I realized Kylie was alone I asked her where mom had gone. 


"When she told me that you went to the parking lot we decided to stay here with her. I didn't want to take her and go looking for you in case you came back here and panicked."


She said "I thought Jackie would watch her." (umm did you actually ask this Jackie person to watch her or did you just assume she would?)

I was shocked when she started chastising her daughter.
"I told you to stay with Mommy. You can't just walk away.YOU NEED TO STAY WITH ME!"


Umm , yeah pretty sure you just told me that you left her standing here with the rubber ducks while you hauled your stash of pumpkins to the car and you "thought" Jackie would watch her.


Well she didn't watch her! 
 And mom didn't even say thank you.


Have you ever found a child who got separated from his/her parents? What did you do? What would you want another parent to do if it was your child?