I guess it's a matter of perspective

Today was my day to volunteer in T's class this month. After all the negative reports over the last couple weeks, I was anxious to see what in the world was going on in there. Yesterday when I dropped T off, I had a chance to talk to Mr. Simon, T's case manager. Turns out that T is not the only one causing Mrs. B to reconsider her chosen profession. Okay I'm kidding about Mrs. B wanting to change professions, but you can tell she's getting frustrated. Today I think I got a clue as to why.

Mrs. B wasn't in class today, so the teacher's aide was in charge. We had a chance to chat, and she was telling me that next year, they are combining the mainstreamed and special needs classes. This means there will be about 30 kids in each class, with no additional help. Some of the special needs kids need an aide all their own - especially those kids that have extreme physical disabilities. It's sad and frustrating. So I can see why Mrs. B is not in the mood for some of the hijinks that go on on class, and why she's trying so hard to get the older pre K kids ready for kindergarten, which is now a completely different experience than when I was in kindergarten.

It seems like all the stuff I learned in kindergarten, T will have to know before he goes. Sheesh. And also, kindergarten has quiet time. I've thrown that into our schedules at home now, because that was one of the things T hated about staying at the CDC in Germany. T and I have a lot of work to do this summer, but at least that will help me to come up with interesting things to do in our summer schedule.

Being in class yesterday, though, T was really well behaved and (at least that I saw) wasn't reprimanded for anything. Actually, all the kids were really good. It continually surprises me how quiet the kids are expected to be. I think my kids are really loud (and they are, trust me), so it's really interesting to see how my definition of quiet is the pre k's definition of loud. Some of the students in Mr. Simon's class come over to Mrs. B's class for certain activities. Yesterday, I got to spend time with Joey, who is the sweetest kid but is a real handful. He puts everything into his mouth, so most of my morning was spent prying potential choking hazards out of his mouth. I wanted to laugh a couple times, but Joey needed NO encouragement. Then he tried to eat a book. His mom must have her hands FULL! But he gave me a huge hug before he left yesterday and I truly think my heart melted a bit. Which brings the question - why do I have so much patience with other kids but not my own?