I have been an after school teacher for a few months now, and let me tell you, it is exhausting. Even though it can be a challenge, because trust me, they are not always sunshine and rainbows, I would not go back to change anything. It can be a challenge but they sure say and do some amazing things. I work with a wide age range of kids so it is always something different.
I recently cut my hair. I went bold, getting bangs and chopping my hair off above my shoulder. My first day to work after my cut, one of my girls came up to me and this was the following conversation.
“Ms. Cait, what happened to your hair?”
“I cut it.”
“But why?”
“I wanted something different.”
“Hmmmmm. Okay..”
Let’s say I know that the kids will always let me know when they don’t like something.
Another great moment with my kids came from two of the middle school students picking on my coworker and her relationship. She then decided to turn the tables on me when she found me laughing at her. Anyone who knows me, knows I am certainly not in a relationship. She decided to tell the students I was. She named the said “boyfriend” and we gave him a full life story. Needless to say, this was a very funny game for me and my coworker. They still think I’m in a relationship.
I have one student who constantly gives me some of her creations. The first thing she gave me was an origami cat. (I may talk about my fur babies a little too much.) The next was a drawing of me that I must say, made me feel pretty good about myself, seeing that she made me much skinnier than reality. Both are hanging on my wall in my apartment.
For a little bit of comedy, I was talking to some of my younger students about money while we were observing the money kit that they have to play with. I was asking the kids who was on the different bills I was showing them and giving them random facts about the different historical figures. I cannot remember which bill it was but, one student asked me if Donald Trump was on a bill. Another immediately responded with “NO!”
Working with kids can be extremely eye opening. When they get really upset I always ask them “Will this matter tomorrow?” I realized that I can ask myself this same question when I find myself frustrated or down on myself. When I have a bad day, I walk into work and a kid immediately comes to hug my waist saying “Hey Ms. Cait!” It never fails to brighten my day no matter what has happened. It is amazing to see all of these children, their entire lives ahead of them, and big dreams in their heart. I always find myself thinking about when I was their age and how much I have changed. Beyond the chaos that they no doubt will bring into my day, I cannot wait to see what good things these kids will bring into the world.