by Melody Williams

Created on: March 30, 2009   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

I have been a preschool teacher for many years, and I find that every day offers an interesting story or two. No two children are alike, and they all have their own little personalities. I work for Head Start and teach a preschool class of seventeen children who range in ages from three to five.

I could write hundreds of humorous things my children have done over the years, but it would then be a book. Rather, I will tell you about a 'normal' day.

The children arrive with their parents at 1:15 in the afternoon. Seventeen little ones storm through the door, chatting to each other about their morning. At the sight of the teachers they scurry to their cubbies to hang up their coats and rush over to tell me something of great importance. Miss Mel, I fell and got a boo-boo, see my Dora bandage? Miss Mel, My dad got stopped by a police man and he gave him a ticket! Miss Mel, my mom found a mouse swimming in the toilet!

Once coats are hung and the chit chat is hushed, we sit on our names at circle carpet and prepare for our day. I rattle off 17 jobs to 17 children, and then the calendar person comes to my rocking chair. I ask what day, date and month it is. We all say it together verbally and in sign language. Next we check the weather and sing a song about what it looks like outside. Finally the anxious children are excused for playtime, where they choose a center they want to be in.

As the children play, I stand back and observe. Science table is buzzing with conversation about the eggs we are incubating. Water table has two boys at it trying to predict what objects I have offered will sink, and which ones will float. I have one little boy who is full of mischief, and is always up to something. I have dubbed him Dennis the Menace. He happens to be one of the boys at the water table, and asks his friend if his head will sink. Before I can get to him, he has his whole face in the water table and is blowing bubbles. I decide it is time for Dennis to play elsewhere. He decides to paint at the easel.

In the dramatic play area four children are playing house. One of the children is the family dog. He gets on the couch and the child who is the mother scolds the dog and makes him lay on the floor. When they notice me, they begin taking all the pretend food out, and placing it on the table for me to enjoy. We are having a nice little dinner in the kitchen area when I happen to glance Dennis's way. He has painted his paper blue, the easel blue, his arms blue, and his nose blue.

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