One week down!

I survived my first week with little 3-5 year olds! It wasn't without drama, however.

My classes (a.m. and p.m.) consist of 7 boys total. They are some of the cutest kids you could ever gather together under one roof (and no, I'm not biased). They each have their own little "quirk" that makes them just down right cute.

One is quite the chubby thing. He has an infectious smile that just melts your heart. However, you must be careful because he knows how to use it to his advantage! Another keeps us in stitches with his karate kid poses. Now, this isn't what he intends to do...we haven't quite figured out what he's doing. But it did bring back memories of the karate kid. He'll just break into this pose and be real still, balancing on one leg, sometimes with a finger pointing up. You'd have to see it to get the full effect. Then there is my only 5 year old. He is interesting. He talks some, but mostly focuses on Freddy Krueger, Jason (from Friday the 13th), and various other boogeymen. Don't get me started on the lack of appropriateness for a child this age to even know about these characters...I also have a boy who doesn't like school much. His favorite word (or words) is "Nononononononono." I have my work cut out with him. He isn't yet fond of me--he's one of those that is going to take some time to get through too. He's a complex kid. I have one little boy whose smile just melts your heart. He has trouble talking because of a lack of motor and muscle control in his mouth but his smile speaks 100s of words. He is the most compliant and easy going little boy, happy all the time. There is a cute little tow headed boy who just smiles and talks in a quiet voice and is very eager to please. He pretty much goes with the flow. Finally, I have a very small boy, it's a miracle that he's even here really. He has a lot of issues to overcome. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly motivates him. I'm getting a ball pit this week, and am having a noisy box made for him soon. I hope both of these provide me some direction for which way to go with him. His needs are more significant than most of my other students.
My TAs and I have almost constantly been in stitches over the antics of our students. They keep us on our feet, but it makes for a fun and eventful day!

Happy 16th birthday today to my oldest nephew!