Whoever said dealing with lil children is an easy task, probably never dealt with them. Take my word for it. If you're under the impression that kids are sugar and spice and everything nice... well, they're not. At least that's not all that they are!
I began work as a pre school teacher 5 months ago, and back then I was under the same impression too. Until I became their hands on care taker (Praise the Lord!). I doubt one learns as much in 3 yrs of college than one does within the first 3 months at work. Honest.
Now would be a good time to tell you what (or rather whom) I have on my hands every morning for 4 hrs a day. In the alphabetic order, here goes.
First there's Amrith. He's 5 yrs and few months old, but doesn't think he's too young to be dating his class teacher. Very bright and intelligent, in his free time is found either running around class driving his make believe taxi (insisting on giving unwilling classmates a ride), or flexing his "muscles" and showing off his latest haircut to a very amused me.
Then there's Ananya. She's a cute lil dumpling who loves playing 'kitchen-kitchen' with anything she can lay her chubby hands on. We've all been treated to her veg corn soup and chicken tikka combo in varying articles such as a pencil box to empty chalk cartons!
Then there's Dhruv. Good God. He takes the cake and the entire pantry with it. If there's anyone out there who wants to learn anger management techniques or want to increase their patience levels, ditch AoL classes or anything else you have in mind and contact me! Dealing with him alone will make you reach nirvana. The repeated usage of God's name will get you there. You can count on it.
Enrique. The stud of our class. With his impish good looks and chic dressing style (credit attributed to his even more fashionable mom) he can make you want to give in to anything he wants. Such is his effect, that if he tells you he's burnt your house down, you'd want to give him some kerosene to burn your garage down too. Anything to please him! :P
Harshita. She's a doe eyed lil princess who loves chewing on her hair. Haven't figured why she likes doing it yet, am working on it.
Mihir. He's one kid who consistently has the same expression on his face. Whether he's jumping the trampoline or wrestling with one of his friends. The serene half smile!
Then there's Nitya. She's an angel. She comes to school, does her work, goes home, does her homework, then comes back to school, does more work, goes home, does more homework.... get my drift?
Pranav. Smart kid whose recently lost two of his front teeth, such that he has to repeat everything he says, twice. "I eat my brother" was meant to be "I hit my brother".... See why I make him repeat?!
Then there's Rahul. A born brain. Exceptionally fast with his worksheets and anything related to acads, I wouldn't be surprised to know if he makes it to one of the premier institutes of our country 12 yrs down the line.
Satakshi. Oh my gosh. This girl'll make it to the front page of a newspaper for one of these reasons. For someone's suicide (she can make me want to kill myself), homicide (make me want to kill whoever hired me), or infanticide (make me... not really!)... While teaching them the spelling of 'Blue', she broke into the title track of the movie with the same name, right down to the dance steps. While singing the National anthem she began doing a self choreographed tribal dance. While trying to explain the sea world food chain to her, I felt like a fish at the bottom of the food chain myself, when opening and closing my mouth helplessly. The exasperation!
Shreya. She's a doll. She can give one the warmest of hugs and sweetest of smiles that make one forget whatever's bothering 'em. Even if its me, when I'm in the midst of tearing apart two feuding Lords of our class.
Shrimanth. When Shakespeare said "You can smile, smile and smile and still be a villain" he must've thought of someone like this kid. All of 16 and a half kilos he can get someone whose 10 times his weight in major soup if he wants to. Careful around that one!
Vaibhav. This kid can actually make you feel like Patrick Swayze from 'Ghost'. He won't look at you while you're talking to him. Won't reply. Won't do what you tell him to, and all this not in a rebellious manner. Just as though you don't exist. Am at my wits end with this one! :P
So the above's just a gist of what I deal with on a day-to-day basis. Yeah I have mad/bad days with my lil students but its all in a days work. Ask me to quit right now for a better paying job with saner people to deal with... and I'll pass. I can't think of not going to school tomorrow to meet my lil cherubs. To know what they did over the weekend, to watch them build tall buildings with blocks, to nurture a bruised knee maybe, and then to kiss the pain goodbye. Nope. I can't leave 'em. Not till they graduate from pre school.
