For example, when teaching high school I used to plan carefully for each lesson and then once in the classroom just go with the flow. Secure in the knowledge that if the 'flow' came to a stop I had my plan to come back to. When teaching Kinder I have learned that I need to over plan. Plan more activities than can actually be done - according to my ideas anyway - and then be exceedingly flexible once the class starts. As it turns out, some days we do everything I have planned even though I thought it was too much. Other days we don't even finish one thing. But it is always good to have my plan :-)
Today I was very proud of my flexibility, was all set to teach a cooking class - grilled pineapple - the kidlettes were all sitting expectantly around the table in their little yellow overcoat things - to protect their clothes. I picked up the one thing I didn't buy myself - the main ingredient, pineapple. It was off - well and truly vinergarising. What to do? I went rummaging in the kitchen and found two peaches and some boiled potatoes in the fridge. So I taught them how to make grilled peaches and potato skins instead. Same method as the grilled pineapple. (Cut peaches into wedges, paint with a little butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and a tiny bit of powdered ginger - actually if I was doing them at home for me I would use thyme instead of ginger. Potatoes are the same minus the sugar and ginger, and you scoop out the inside of each wedge so you get two chips for the price of one and lots of crunchy bits. Then put everything under the grill. Wait until the peaches are hot, brown and juicey and the potatoes are hot, brown and crunchy. Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt and enjoy - separately.) Kidlettes loved them, general consensus was that it was very delicious, with the potatoes earning an extra very.
I think the thing I like best about teaching the Kinders is the same thing I liked about teaching high school. I used to love watching my kids develop and grow from runty (and sometimes not so runty) twelve and thirteen year olds into young men and women of eighteen and nineteen. And now with the wonders of facebook I am getting to see them as young adults, in there twenties and even thirties, I get to see them graduate from university, start careers, buy houses, get married, have babies and all those other life mile stones. I got to see and help shape their characters, to help try to set them in an upwards direction. Often this has been highly rewarding, like the student who is about to go and represent NZ in the world championships for her sport, or the students who have reached their goals and become doctors or lawyers or teachers - even chemistry teachers :-D
Here in the Kinder I get to see and do the same thing, to watch my babies characters and help shape them, praise and build up the good and ignore and down play the bad. And again it is more extreme than for high school. What can take years to change in older students can change in just weeks in the Kinders. Seeing the little girl who is a loner and watcher start to become part of the group and participate, to see the girl who is a follower start to become a leader, to see the one who always seems to want to hit me stop and start dressing me in the play jewellery instead, those things are really rewarding.
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