“Ms. Rizvi, tie my shoes please” “Ms. Rizvi, is it snack time yet?” “Ms. Rizvi, Ms. Rizvi, Ms. Rizvi!!!”
This semester, I have the oh so wonderful opportunity to be a student teacher in a kindergarten classroom. When I heard I was being placed in kindergarten, my mind quickly rushed to all the dreadful thoughts such as, “oh no, they’re babies!” “They don’t know anything!” and “I will loose my mind.” Although some of those thoughts may be true, I am definitely having quite the experience.
There is no such thing as a typical day in Kindergarten. From tears to tantrums, to hugs and high-fives, to leaving everyday exhausted. Every minute of the day is booming and there is never a moment where I am sitting down. Although there is a full day schedule that begins with morning meeting and ends with Social Studies, it’s the moments in between that really make my experience special.
Contrary to popular belief, these children are quite inquisitive and as smart as a 5-year-old can be. Everybody around me thinks Kindergarten is equivalent to a day care and that it is an easy grade, but in reality its quite the opposite. It is not easy to manage 20, 5-year-old children who have never been to school before and don’t know basics such as holding a pencil, writing their name, or even coloring within the lines. And no, it is not easy because they are learning actual subjects that align with common core standards they need to accomplish. The next time you think Kindergarten is an easy grade to deal with, think again.
There are definitely many perks! My co-operating teacher and I can say anything and nothing fazes these children. They don’t know how to read, so we can write anything and they will believe it, or the fact that they’ll actually listen to you, but do the same thing 5 minutes later. All jokes aside, I get to leave everyday with a million stories and many reasons to smile. Even though the students can be draining, I know they look up to me and are excited to have me as their student teacher as I am to be theirs.
I’m so excited to see what the next two and a half months have in store for me!
Shout-out to all the Kindergarten teachers, God bless you!