Six Things I Learned in Pre-K This Year

In December of last year, I began working in the afternoons with five-year-olds at a local daycare.  The school year ended last week, and while some of the children will be sticking around for the summer program, others have moved on and will be attending kindergarten in the fall.  I hope to see several of them again sometime, but even those I will never see again have taught me a lot over the last few months!  Here are a few things I learned from five-year-olds this year:

Every child is different.
Okay, so I already knew this.  Still, it was fascinating to learn some of their different personalities and interests: we had some who were loud and outgoing and others who were quieter but loved one-on-one attention.  One didn't like jellybeans.  Another could talk all day about snakes or underwater animals.  Each one of them brought to school their own way of looking at the world, and I enjoyed a glimpse into their perspectives.

Heroes are influential in a child's life.
One day I quizzed the kids on what they want to be when they grow up.  Most of them listed "veterinarian" or "teacher," but one five-year-old boy insisted on "herpetologist" (and no, I didn't know what that was).  "Like Steve Irwin," he explained.  "He got stung by a sting ray.  I want to be like him."

Frozen songs are catchy.
Have you seen the movie?  Then no explanation is needed.

Sometimes it's the little things...
In the spring we had caterpillars in a plastic box in our classroom.  The kids enjoyed seeing the cocoons, and absolutely thrilling was the day when one of the cocoons started shaking and vibrating.  It was snack time, but all fifteen children jumped out of their seats to watch the former caterpillar leave its temporary housing behind.  As I watched the butterfly adjust to its wings, I had to admit that it was truly fascinating.

What others think about me shouldn't be at the top of my priority list.
This is an interesting one for me - I've always struggled with this, and one of the five-year-olds who was in our class this year thrives on positive attention from others.  Countless times we talked about how to respond when someone didn't like the way she did something (or the song she sang, or the dress she wore, etc.), and how resting in what God thinks of us takes away our worry over what others think.  One day, I was trying to help her understand that even if someone didn't praise her coloring picture, she didn't have to be bothered by that.  She could enjoy what she was doing no matter what the other children thought.  As I was talking with her, I realized how much I needed to hear that, too!  No matter what others think of how well I do something - or anything else - it doesn't have to bother me, either.

The most meaningful gift isn't always the most elaborate.
Whether it was for Christmas, or Valentine's Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, some of the gifts the children (or their parents!) gave us were very generous.  There were flowers, gift cards, and candy - all of which I have truly appreciated.  But the gifts I will treasure the most are those that cost the children nothing but their time.  Coloring pages and cards with childlike handwriting and mistakes, with undecipherable artwork that they had to explain to me ("it's a machine that makes hearts") - those are what I will keep the longest.  It's a reminder, too, when it is my turn to give a gift to someone else: Do I just choose something that seems like a good gift, or do I really put myself - my heart - into it?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Six Things I Learned from a Visit with the Doctor

1.  Needles aren't as bad as I work them up to be.  Every time I know I'm going to have a needle prick I get a little nervous about it...and every time I realize that needles aren't anything to worry about.

2. People are interesting.  I do not remember the last time I saw this doctor, and I certainly didn't recall his personality.  He entered the room with a loud, "Fancy meeting you here!" - like I had ever met him anywhere else.  In the next few minutes, I learned that he grew up with missionary parents in India, and that he followed his brother's footsteps by choosing the medical field.  I was surprised that I went for a simple, to-the-point physical and was receiving a riveting, far-from-to-the-point story of an interesting life.

3. Life is unpredictable.  The doctor told me that three of his friends died in the last year, two unexpectedly.  I suppose in the medical field he sees more of death and dying than most of us, but we all see some of it.

4. Wherever you are, be all there.  Okay, so I first heard this from Jim Elliot, but I think our family doctor would agree.  "Mom wanted me to be a preacher," he said.  "I did not want to be a preacher."  But he did not leave his faith out of his work.  Shrugging his shoulders as he sat in his office, he explained, "I preach here a lot."

5. Your deepest influence may not be what you once thought.  I imagine he realizes that he sometimes impacts patients like me.  He probably knows he has an influence on children who are scared of his office or adults who are scared of major life changes.  But as he began his medical career all those years ago, I doubt the doctor thought about what an influence he might have on those who work for him.  After he left the room, I mentioned to the doctor's medical assistant that the doctor seemed like a neat boss.  Without any hesitation, she agreed: "Oh, the best."

6. Ordinary can be extraordinary.  It certainly was an interesting doctor visit.  I wonder how many "ordinary" people have led such full lives and have so much to tell those of us who are still trying to decide how to fill our lives.  Maybe the doctor will write some of his hard-earned wisdom down for us sometime.  It is possible - "I may write a book one day," he told me.  Meanwhile, he did offer one piece of advice:

"Just live each day with joy and grace."

Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ten Things I Learned from Climbing My First Mountain

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I enjoyed a week in the Colorado mountains.  We had a great time!  I enjoyed the entire week, but one of the many highlights happened early on our last full day there.  My dad, brother, and I hiked a mountain near where we were staying.  I had never hiked a mountain before, so it was a challenge, but a memorable one.  I certainly learned a few things...

1. There is a reason I live in the Great Plains.  Plains.  Flat.  Grassy.  Flat.  Very flat.  I like it that way - I love the wide open sky and beautiful sunrises and sunsets we have here.  This was probably a very little mountain (as mountains go), but given where I come from, it was big enough for my taste.

2. I have a very helpful brother.  Not only did he carry the bag with our water all the way up the mountain, but he said "We're almost there" about a dozen times.  It really helped - the first couple of times.

3. He doesn't think I'm quite as helpful.  Okay, so maybe I didn't need to ask "Are we there yet?" quite as often as I did, but I didn't mean for him to take it personally.

4. "Level of difficulty" is relative.  Seriously, this hike was supposed to be "easy" or "moderate."  Maybe for a marathon contestant, but not for me.

5. Gloves should be part of my mountain climbing gear.  If I ever do it again, that is.  Apparently I have a unique descent style; my dad and brother said it looked like a crab slide.  I didn't see how it looked, but it worked, right?  I survived the trip down.  That was the goal.

6. Some people have strange hobbies.  Like building stone structures atop steep slopes.  That and, of course, climbing said slopes.  But I digress...

7. Pictures don't do it justice.  It was amazing - a gorgeous panoramic view as far as they eye could see.  I tried to capture it on camera, but it is impossible to catch that in a picture (as you can see in the picture at the top of this post).  Besides - the sun was in my eyes.

8. I am glad I went.  So maybe it is a little cliche, but it really was worth it.  It was a great experience!  I'm not entirely convinced I want to do it again, though.

9. Some things aren't worth it.  Like I said, it was worth it - the first time.  But if I had left my jacket or some other personal item up there, forget it.  I don't think I need anything that much.

10.  You never know what is waiting around the next corner - or up the next mountain!  Who knows what adventure could happen?  It might be challenging, it might be something I never want to do again, but it can still be an adventure.  What great memories do you have because you tried something new?