As preschool teachers, we often hear comments about how patient we are when it comes to handling children. In fact, a lot of people are well aware of how challenging our job is… I mean, I have seen mothers on the brink of losing their sanity, to think that they are only taking care of one or two children… what more for teachers who are tasked to look after a group of at least 10 kids!
But, admittedly, even with the passion and commitment I put into my profession, I am still human- hence, like many, I also lose my temper.
These past few weeks have been particularly difficult for me. Given the entry of the newest addition in my class, a boy with boundless energy and a first-timer, things in the classroom have been pretty chaotic.
I have been appropriately briefed as to what I should be expecting from this child. With enough background knowledge I braced myself for what was to come. And, he did not fail me. Honestly, the kid was really a handful.
The new student was easy. What caught me off guard was the ripple effect of misbehavior that pervaded in my class. My old students, who have been well trained and fully aware of classroom rules and regulations, started to suddenly act like newcomers. Being a teacher of 7 years, I tried to act as composed as I can… laughing it off and regarding it as an isolated case… It would have been easier for me… except that I was in a state of emotional instability, which regularly happens to me prior to my period.
As expected, my children saw the other… and darker… side of their teacher. I was furious! I talked to them like they were like teenagers or something. After that, I felt guilty and embarrassed. I thought, this was not to be expected from an experienced teacher! What the hell was I thinking?
With awareness comes effort to change. Good thing children are easy to forgive and forget. So after a few games, songs, and dancing, they, thankfully got distracted and were again fully attentive… Dang, why didn’t I think of that earlier…
Well, anyways, as a teacher, I plan my lessons carefully and set daily objectives that I want to be attained. But with this thinking, I am only focusing on what I want… which should not be the case. Even with the years that I have had behind me, I still forget to be relaxed sometimes… to be flexible enough to bend the rules and trash my plan in response to what my students’ current conditions are… Well, thankfully, I do not claim to be the best and most patient educator in the world. On the contrary, I am fully aware that like many, I am still in the process of learning and continuous discovery. Children are such wondrous beings that they are virtually unpredictable! And now… minus the PMS… I believe I can start anew…