EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

Today is the first day of school- my favorite day of the year. So much promise! Yesterday I was working in the kindergarten classroom, helping Mr. E. set up his classroom library. Mr. E has taught for about ten years, but he has always taught intermediate grades. This year, he is going to hang out with the five-year-olds. One of his former students brought her little brother, who is going to be in E's class, to meet him.

Mr. E has a ladybug puppet on one hand and a bumble bee on the other. He takes T over to the basket of beginning of school reads, hands him the bumblebee, and says, in a Mrs. Doubtfire-ish kind of voice, " T, what book do you think we should read first?"

T: I'm a bumblebee. I don't read books. I like to sting people!

At this point, I start to laugh, and have to duck down behind the bookcase. E is much more composed than I am.

E (still speaking through the ladybug puppet): I don't like my friends to hurt me.

T (gets that really serious thinking face that five year olds are famous for): OK, I'll just be a friend who reads books with you.

It's going to be a magical year. I can't wait for school to start!

Professionals please!

Eight year old Adrianna shares TEN APPLES UP ON TOP with Mr. George, our art teacher. She is particularly impressed by the page where the tiger (or an animal that looks like a tiger) is balancing ten apples on top of his head.

Gene, up to his elbows in model magic and tempera paint, is never too busy to honor a child, “Wow, Adriana, that’s amazing! I think I could maybe do one apple, but I don’t think I could do that many.”

Adriana is more than a little annoyed, “Mr. George, these guys are professionals!”