Understanding

I thought I'd write about something a little different today. Since having kids I now feel like I understand the parents of my classes better. I think about perceptions of parents and kids that I had pre-kids and a lot of those perceptions have changed. I will share two anecdotes with you. One year when I was teaching I looked around at the kids in my class and they looked a mess. Especially the boys, not a single boy had neat hair, most stood up in all the wrong places and many had toothpaste on their faces. I remember walking into my friend's classroom next door and told her that I vowed to never have kids go to school with messy hair and dirty faces. Well, a few years later and I feel lucky if my hair is brushed! Having two wild boys with complete bedhead and an aversion to combs and brushes, I totally understand why those kids were a disaster. As a parent you pick your battles, brushing hair is not one worth fighting. Not to mention the marathon a parent feels from wake up to drop off at school. Get kids up, get them dressed, feed them, pack all their stuff for the day, get your own self together and try to be on time. Hair is the least of a parent's worry! One other child I had in class a while back came to school wearing pajamas under his clothes every day. His mother said he always wanted to wear pajamas and this was their compromise. Again, pick your battles! One other day I remember is one particularly emotional first day of school.  On this day many of the parents hugged, kissed and cried like they would never see their kids again. My co-teacher and I found this a bit strange. Now as a parent I get it. I felt like crying on my son's first day of preschool. Every morning, I hug both kids and tell them how much I love them at drop off.  I can truly see the reasoning and emotion behind a lot of what the parents in my class do, say and how they act. I think it has made me a better teacher. Thank you for listening to this today. I will be back with more freebees and ideas soon. Happy teaching!!!!