Today started off as any other first day of school. The students arrived at the classroom door all eager to learn and to experience a new adventure. I greeted them at the door with excitement and caution. I was excited by learning about this little one with bright scared eyes, but with caution because I knew they were unsure of whom this lady was kneeling in front of them welcoming them to a great year.
I started out by showing them the first part of the daily routines that I wanted to enforce. This was very easy to pick up on and follow. As more students came in and started their first day of Kindergarten, the personalities started to show. There were those quiet students who are eager to please and do everything just right, and then those students who had never been in a school setting, much less an environment with structure. Then there were those "stinkers" who are not what I would call "intentional stinkers", but stinkers due to their age and their cuteness. They were the ones that had to remind repeatedly of my simple directions and needed constant re-direction.
By the end of the day, I was tired and worn out from not only the heat, but from being a kindergarten teacher. As we were getting ready to go home, we started the task of getting book bags and putting folders inside bags. I look over and see a boy with everything out of his bag. On his desk were new folders, shiny new pencils, and the papers that were in his folder strewn about. I could tell by this that this little man was so excited about all his new supplies. How could he not be?!?!? I took his backpack and opened it up...and that is when I saw it....the stuffed elephant. I looked at that stuffed elephant and could picture his mom putting the elephant in his backpack as his "secret" security. This was his way of having a piece of home and his mommy with him as he embarked on his first day of kindergarten. Something that made him feel safe in this brand new environment. Something that was close to his heart and made him smile when he thought about the elephant stored secretly in his bag.
This elephant does not only represent safety, but the realization that standing in front of me are 21 kids….kids who I am responsible for teaching, caring, and showing them the world for the next 180 days. It doesn't matter where they come from, how much money they have, or who their parents are. This elephant represent the purity of childhood and that these kids are just that...KIDS....and deserve the right to enjoy and have fun while being in my Kindergarten classroom.
This is awesome and very sweet. I hope you have a wonderful year, and that these kids will learn as much as they can from you. You're a wonderful teacher, and they're so lucky to be in your classroom! Even as an adult, we still have a "secret" security, it's just we do a better job of hiding it. <3
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