I have learned a super respect for children's teachers.  I've been helping in Bible School all week with the kindergarten age group.  Chaos.  Utter chaos.  Why anyone would choose to work with children that age is a mystery to me.  They can't stop moving.  They can't pay attention.  Half the time they can't hear you.  Most of the time they don't listen.  And they never, never ever stop moving.  We had 12  six year olds in our class with four teachers.  Trying to get twelve of them going in the same direction at the same time is impossible.  It took all four of us working full force just to control them.

I can't imagine a single teacher managing a class of thirty.  What are we thinking!  What on earth are we thinking when we ask school teachers to manage a room full of 30 wigglers like that--much less teach them anything.  It is impossible.  They don't listen.  Period.  They make too much noise.  And someone has to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.  Sometimes they make it on time.

I guess that's why God made us all different.  Give me teenagers.  Any day of the week.

I am now a certified failure as a Kindergarten teacher.  If it hadn't been for the three other teachers in the room (of only 12 kids) I don't think I would have made it.  And it only lasted for four hours each morning.  I didn't have to do anything but corral them.  We changed rooms every thirty minutes--and there was a well prepared teacher in each of those rooms to engage them in something.  I didn't have to prepare anything.  Just point the kids to the right room and line them up to move down the hall.  Have you ever tried to line six year olds up?  It can't be done.

I don't have to do this again for another year.  And if it wasn't for my grandson, you couldn't pay me enough to do it.  My grandson is spending the week with me and he definitely fits in with the noisy, wiggling, not paying attention crowd.  I love him or I'd quit.  Give up.  Declare myself a kindergarten dropout.  I am going to trade time with someone next year.  If they will take my place with the younger kids, I'll do their time with Junior High, High School and anything else they signed up to do.  And I'll give them double time.  I'll do two weeks for their one.  And even then, I'll feel like I am getting a great deal.  I hate it when I fail at something.  I like to be competent.  Successful.

God bless elementary teachers.  Especially kindergarten through grade one. I salute them.