Caution: Biohazard ☣

The teachers are beginning to call all the kindergarten classes “biohazards”. Flu season is in full swing and it has affected many of the students and also the teachers who work with the younger children. The classroom vibe was very different because of this. One child said they needed to lie down on the couch because they were beginning to not feel well. I watched as another child noticed her friend lying down. The child dropped her snap cubes, left her group of friends she was playing with and rushed over to the bookshelf. She grabbed a book and plunked herself down right in front of her friend who was feeling ill. She opened the book and began showing her the pictures. I went over to praise the girl for caring for her friend by sharing a book with her. She responded saying that whenever she did not feel well, that is what her mom would do for her and it always made her feel better. It was a very bittersweet moment and I’m glad I was able to witness it.

When I arrived today, I realized that I am beginning to notice a trend. The students are most definitely associating my arrival with pizza day. This was the second week in a row that they have chanted “Miss Heather, pizza day, Miss Heather, pizza day!!!” as I walked in the door. As you have probably already guessed, the day I volunteer happens to also be pizza day. I am beginning to worry that the students are only excited to see me is because they are then reminded that today will be pizza day. I am really hoping this is not the case.

There is one child in the class who often experiences difficulties transitioning from one activity to another. When it was time to come inside from playing outdoors, the child got very upset and began to yell and cry. I observed as the teacher was very patient with him and eventually got him to come inside and take his winter gear off. Still very upset, he sat through carpet time as the teacher read a story and did an activity with the students. The activity involved recalling important parts of the story. When it was time for the students’ center activities, the child I’ve previously mentioned ran over to a box of shapes, picked them up, and walked towards where I was sitting at a table. He handed me an instruction booklet that showed how to build a 3D object. Together we sat and built the object. I walked the child through it step-by-step, allowing him to do all the work. After we had finished I could tell he felt pride in his accomplishment. He stared at the object with wide eyes and a huge smile. I was happily surprised at how this activity we completed together had distracted him from the sadness he was experiencing earlier on.

The teacher mentioned during gym class today that in the following weeks, instead of letting the children run wild with hula hoops and various other activities, she would organize an activity for them to play. I look forward to seeing how this plays out considering how wild the children get the very moment they step foot in the gym. Stay tuned for updates next week!