Monday, February 26, 2007

Tiny Tales


When the children speak about people who are 'kind', 'gentle', or 'nice', they say, "This person has a warm-mind." I just like the sound of that... a warm-mind. I want a warm-mind.

So I told my TOEFL class that I had met a Korean girl at church. And that she had offered to teach me Korean. Suddenly, Annie started pumping her fist in the air and chanted, "Marry, marry, marry." Sheeesh!! Little girls are the same all over the world.

Kindergarten kids are the coolest. The other day I created a "special test" for my kinder kids to help them learn their colors. I would call out a color and a body part, and they would have to find something in the room with that color and put their body part on it. For example... I said, "Blue... your elbow!" The children ran to the back and pushed their elbows against a blue poster.

Then I called out, "White... your foot!" With the biggest grin on his face, Syan (the only boy in the class) pulled down his pants and proudly displayed his white underwear. I just about lost it. Somehow, I kept a straight face and instructed him to pull his pants up and find something else white. By the way, none of the girls in the class took this opportunity to kick him in the pants (but I think Kate wanted to).

Today Syan raced to the front of the room to tell me something. Kate decided he needed to sit down, so she jumped out of her chair, grabbed the back of his coat, and pulled. The coat ripped and Kate flew backwards. I turned around just in time to see her stand up with a grimace on her face, rubbing her backside, and holding a piece of Syan's coat. Syan didn't seem to mind, in fact, I think he found it funny because he totally forgot what he was trying to tell me. Poor Kate hobbled back to her chair. She said she was okay.

The sound of "Teacher, teacher, teacher." will never get old.

3 comments:

Kia said...

Wow, that kid is awesome. That reminds me of my brother... For a second I thought you were going to say he pulled down his pants to display his white butt. That's what my brother used to do when he was that age...
Thanks for the email and picture- they made me smile.

downing's office assistant said...

i love the underwear bit. there are so many moments in the classroom that are like gold. things that just seem too real somedays. today, i had max, a cute, front toothless, smart, curious, outspoken, happy kid do his speech contest. he put his hands in his jacket sleeves and wrapped them around the podium pole did some nervous glances around the room and told how he ants to be a doctor so that he could help poor and sick people in africa. one of those really young kids who dont get humour, and force laugh when something funny appears to be happening. but he seemed so sure about this one.

Jessica Hubbard said...

Oh Ryan, this makes me laugh so much. I'm teaching kindergarten right now, and I can only imagine the stories you have since I have the most riduculous things ever. I am so glad that you are finding joy in them, they are quite the little wonders.
Here's a little story for you from me, it made me think of you:
We were in the OMSI planetarium and the guide was telling us a story about Atlas the guy who held up the world. He was telling us the greek math and my kids looked at me, and then one shouted out..."That's God's job!" and the guide said, "Yes, that's a story too!" And they all looked very upset and the same one shouted..."No it's not fiction is non-fiction...that's God's job, to hold the world in his hands." And the guide was very nervous and didn't know what to say. I really enjoyed that :) We taught these kiddos well...
anyway hope that you are enjoying yourself, and may the same God that holds the world for my kindergardners, hold yours as well and guide you.