Hard Work Pays Off !!!

At the daycare, I have a cool opportunity to go swimming with my kids two times a week. So, I get paid to be in the pool for an hour and a half, two times a week. I have a hard job, don't I? :-) Well, actually, in some other respects I do. But, I have a pool story I want to share with you.

This week has been a very hard week for me at the daycare. I have a couple of boys, that I have mentioned in a prior post, that are quite challenging. I haven't given up on them. I won't! I've told them that we are a team, and we will work together through their anger management issues because I have two boys that cannot control their anger. It is pretty sad! I am determined that God has placed me there for a reason this summer to help them and be a blessing to them even though it is hard and challenging for me.

Well on Friday, we were in the pool. I have this one little boy who is five years old. He is about the cutest thing you've seen! He is small in size with longer blonde, curly hair. He is adorable! He also has beautiful bright blue eyes! Like I said, he's adorable!! He's the same boy that I mentioned in the previous post about not going to a country. :-)

Well... back to the pool, he cannot swim. When we are in the pool, he hangs on to pool noodles. He decided yesterday that he was going to practice swimming. So, he would hold his breath under water for a while.; he was so proud of himself. Then, he would ask me hold on to the noodles and pull them while he kicked. After that, I got rid of the noodles and just held his hands while he kicked. He said, "Miss Heather, don't let me go!" Of course, I wouldn't! He kept practicing. He said, I just can't blow bubbles with my nose under water.

Well, while we were in the water, he kept trying to swim. He didn't give up. By the end, he was swimming!! He doesn't have it down perfect, but he did it. I was so proud of him. He didn't give up! I had so much fun helping him and watching him achieve his goal. It was a great end of a hard week for me. It brought joy at the end of a hard week! It reminded me how fun it is to watch children learn and be happy. I needed that. I am thankful that God gave me this little reminder on Friday afternoon! I wanted to share with you the joy of hard work of what a "babe" did!

"Is it o-kay if I cry?"

At daycare the other day, I had a student that came to me kind of sad. She came and talked to me. She told me that her dog "Wicket" was going to be put to sleep that day. How sad! She asked me, "Is it o-kay if I cry?" Oh my, that about broke my heart! I told her, "Of course it is! It is o-kay to cry when we are sad." I also told her, that I've cried a lot, even recently, when I've been sad. I just felt so sad for her because she was so sad because her dog was going to die that day. I wanted to share that tender moment that came "Out of the Mouth of Babes."

"I Haven't Been in a Country"

At the daycare this summer, we are "traveling" around the world. Each week we are "going" to a different country. It is going to be exciting! During the week, we do art projects and journal entries pertaining to the country we are "visiting."
Since this is our first week, we are getting ready for our travels. So today we made passports. Remember, I am working with children that just finished kindergarten and first grade, so I have to do a lot of explaining. I was trying to explain to them the reason why we have passports. I was explaining that they need passports when people go to different countries. I gave them names of countries and tried to explain the difference between states and countries. I told them that when people visit different countries they get stamps in their passports. Well, I had this one boy who just finished kindergarten that said in a very sad, whiny type voice, "I haven't been in a country." He sounded so sad; I thought he was going to cry. He then put his head on the table. Part of my heart almost "broke" for him; part of me was laughing because it was funny-- I was laughing! Then, I had a boy said, "You are in a country. You are in the U.S.A." He was right! We are in a country. It was very funny! I wanted to share what came "Out of the Mouth of Babes."

"If I could go anywhere...."

As I mentioned in an earlier post, during the summer I work at a daycare. I am working with children that just finished kindergarten and some that just finished first grade. It is a great age! Today, Monday, June 15, 2009, was my first day. It was a pretty good day. I've learned I will have my work "cut" out for me with some of the boys, especially. However, I think we will have a good summer, once we get to know each other.
Today, the children had to write a journal entry about "If I could go anywhere...." They had to finish that sentence and tell me why they chose that place. I told them to pick any place they wanted to go and to pretend they had as much money as they needed to get there. I gave them an example of where I would and why I want to go there.
Well, three of my girls wrote about the same place for the same reason. I don't have their stories with me. But, I will paraphrase. They said, If I could go anywhere, I would go to New York. So, I can go shopping with my friends.
I loved that! I agree totally! They are my "girly girls!" That made me smile! I wanted to share what came "Out of the Mouth of Babes."

Hold Your Horses!

I help with the K-4 Sunday school class at my church. This time of the year, most of the children are five years old. This past Sunday, the children were pretty rambunctious. We were working on our worksheet about our Bible lesson that was just taught. I had to pass out little papers for them to glue. The children were asking for them. I said, in a joking manner,"Hold your horses!" One kid said, "We don't have any horses." But another child said, "But, I have a goat!" Let me add, this child does not have a goat. However, I thought this was quite funny on what came "Out of the Mouth of Babes."

From the Heart of a Teacher

School is now over for me. This is a happy and sad time. I had told my kids for about the last two weeks of school when we were counting the days, that it was a happy/sad time. It truly was! It is happy because summer is here; however, it is sad because I have said goodbye to my kids. I've always loved teaching! I am so thankful for the love God has given me for teaching. I cannot imagine doing anything else. I know I have mentioned it several times on this blog, but children truly are my life!

I have just finished my seventh year teaching, which is hard to believe. Most of those years have been great. There has only been one year that was truly not good, and that was partly due to personal sorrow (the year of my dad's passing when I was "empty"). The other years have been great. This year that I just finished has been probably been my best or tied for the best year I have had.

This class is so much fun! They have so much personality! You all that have been reading my blog have been able to get a small glimpse of how great they are. I wish you could meet these kids. I hope that you have laughed with me, been touched with me, and perhaps been even "moved" with me.

The biggest thing this class has impressed upon me is their spiritual sensitivity. I have loved watching them "grow." I have loved listening them pray and share their requests. I have shared requests with them, my personal requests, and they pray for them. I have asked them to pray for my cousin who has cancer, and I have been told by parents that they go home and pray for her. I have asked them to pray for my friend's friend to get saved, and they have. They really do care! It is so encouraging to me even at this young age, that these children care so much about the things of the Lord. I hope and pray that doesn't change as they get older.

These kids truly have a special place in my heart. I truly love them and, yes, I already do miss them. I miss their smiles, hugs, and even their silliness. I miss their jewelry talks- from my "girly" girls. I miss their crazy "treasure hunts" and jumping on the swings.
You see, yes, I was their teacher. But, you have to remember, I had these kids for 7 hours a day for 175 days. They are like my kids. That is why I am so sappy, today. I do love them and miss them. I wanted to share with you not just what babes do but what is coming not from "Out of the mouth of babes" but from "the heart of the teacher."

Since school is over, I may not be blogging as much. I will be working at a daycare this summer with children around the same age. So, I'm sure I will have some stories to tell. I will continue to work and serve in my church with the children, so I'm sure that will give me stories, too. But, I wanted to close up my school year with a final entry. I hope you enjoyed reading these entries as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you! I wish you all a blessed summer. I hope you can experience some personal joy in hearing on what comes "Out of the Mouth of Babes."

"Snake and Tell"

I mentioned in a previous post that I am a "girly" girl. With being a "girly" girl, I hate snakes! My kids know that. They were laughing at me! I, basically, hate anything that can crawl over my feet. Well, one of my students brought a snake skin in to school to show the class. Even though I personally do not like stuff like that, I thought for educational purposes, I should let him show them. So, he took it out and showed them. The kids loved it..... even the girls. I measured it, without touching it, it was 4 1/2 feet long. The kids enjoyed it so much! Almost all of them touched it, even my girls. I just wanted to share with you a neat experience that my "babes" got to have. I also am including some pictures of the snake skin. Hope you enjoy it!

My student holding the snake skin.
The snake skin on my reading group chairs. Look how long it is!