"Here We Are Together"

Here we are together, together, together
Oh here we are together on our preschool day!
There's Jacob and Austin and Isabella and Patience,
Oh here we are together on our preschool day!

I thought I'd give you all an update on how preschool is going since I haven't really written anything about it since the school year started. The first week was pretty rough. Unfortunately I got hecka sick right around Labor Day (which was one day before BYU started and two days before preschool started) so that was a bad way to start my week. It seemed like just your average head cold but quickly moved into my chest and I still have a horrible hacking cough that I just cannot get rid of! That made teaching really tough because I am the one who's supposed to be talking the whole time. Needless to say at the end of each preschool day I am pretty dang beat!

I started out with only four kids in my class (as listed above). I thought that'd make things easier--less to deal with--but it actually made things worse. It seems as though with so few kids in the class there was a lot less interaction and I was just scrambling to keep the kids in control and keep them interested. I was struggling a lot that first week and was really not enjoying it much at all.

Week two things got a bit better. My cute neighbor girl Ashley started coming (she was enrolled before but was out of town) and honestly just that one extra little kid made all the difference. I mean maybe I was getting more used to it also, but whatever it was, week 2 was MUCH better. I am actually really enjoying it. The kids are ADORABLE! At first I was really struggling especially with one little girl, Patience. She could not sit still and it wasn't just that she was bored or badly behaved, she just honestly COULD NOT do it. That was really difficult and I found my self getting so frustrated I wanted to scream at the poor child. But as time has progressed things have gotten a lot better. I absolutely adore her now. She is sooo sweet and is always looking out for me. I know it's only been a week since I had been wanting to scream, but a lot has changed. She is actually doing a lot better but I have learned to cope with it better too. I have to change my teaching technique with these kids a lot. They aren't too fond of singing which has always been my fall back with nursery or with my kids in China so that is really hard on me. So that has had to change and I've cut back A LOT on songs, but at the same time I think they are enjoying songs a little more too!

Starting next week our numbers are going to jump up to seven and I am so excited! We are getting two new little girls. One, Kate, is in my ward. I don't really know her but her mom, Ginger is in my recipe group. Ginger is awesome. Her husband is one of Mike's counselors in the Elder's Quorum presidency and I've heard great things about Kate. Her former primary teacher says she is just the sweetest and I am really excited to have her in my class.

The other little girl who will be joining our class is named Kai Ping. Yes, you guessed it, she's Chinese! I am so excited to have her in the class (for obvious reasons), she is just adorable! I am very impartial to little Chinese kids, they just steal my heart. I am sure she'll be one of the same. She and her mom came to watch one of my classes and see how she does with it and she was great! She is so smart and knows all the answers. Her mom said she also loves to sing which is something I could definitely use in my class. She was adopted from China when she was 2. Apparently she has spent most of her childhood in hospitals. I don't know the details but her mom told me that she knew she needed to get her in preschool when Kai Ping came to her one day and said, "I don't go to school, I go to the doctor."

Anyway, I am really excited to have these two new little girls in our class and I am really enjoying teaching! I hope I continue to enjoy it! :)

I'll tell you just one short story about preschool. The other day during big play time (when all the kids either go outside or play with the big toys inside all together) it was raining and the kids were playing with the cars inside on this big rug with roads and towns, etc. The kids were really into it and were paying absolutely no attention to me and all the sudden I just felt SO sick. It hit so suddenly and I KNEW I need to RUN as fast as I could to the bathroom. A few days ago I had forgotten to get the water for snack time and had told the kids I was just going to run into the kitchen (the next room) and get water. I told them to be good. I was gone for all of 30 seconds and when I came back it was COMPLETE chaos. So as there were playing so well together and I knew if I didn't run to the restroom immediately I'd be in trouble, I thought I'd be better off to sneak out and thought they'd never notice. I quickly ran and locked the door to the outside so no one could come in or out and then escaped to the restroom. I had been in there only about 30 seconds when I heard Patience coming out the door shouting, "MISS HEATHER??! MISS HEATHER??!" I yelled to her and told her I was in the bathroom and she came to the door and told me she was afraid I had left them. (She is SO sweet and is ALWAYS looking out for me.) She told me she didn't want me to leave. I promised her I wouldn't leave them and that I'd be back in just a minute. She went back into the room and shortly after that I heard little footsteps coming to the bathroom again and a little rustling outside the door but no one said anything. I said, "Patience is that you?" Then a little (very upset) voice replied, "No, it's just me." I said, "Jacob?" He gave a little whimper and replied, "Yes." I asked what was wrong and he whimpered a little more and said, "Nothing." I told him I'd be right out. When I opened the door his tear streaked face just looked at me. I gave him a hug and asked what was wrong and he replied, "I just wanted you to come back!" Aww. So sweet.

I truly adore these kids.