Posts Tagged “recess”

Kindergarten Logic and Language

As I have said before, I try to stay away from the Kindergarten rooms in my elementary building. Not because the students aren’t adorable, energetic and fun, but because their verbal filters have very large holes. They will and do say anything. Being the teacher, I have to have an appropriate response. Sometimes THAT is just too difficult for me, the laughter erupts before I can stop it.

Mrs. Mc. has been a Kindergarten teacher for many years. She is a bubbly, practical, patient, down to earth lady and I am continually amazed at her ability to live in the Kindergarten zone. At an after school debriefing last Friday(hot fudge sudaes at McDonald’s) she told our close knit group a couple of stories that had us all chuckling….so I thought I would share.

# 1. She has her students bring in photos of themselves when they were younger and their families, etc. Anything they feel is important that they would like to share with the class. One little guy brought in a few pictures, all just of him. As he showed the pictures, he would say, “Dis is jus me.” “Dis is a picher of jus me.” So, Mrs. Mc. asks him, “What’s the story behind the picture?”

He says, “Nuffin.”

She says, “There’s no story?”

Carefully, he turns the picture around to show Mrs. Mc. the back of it and tells her matter of factly, “Dares nuffin on da back, Mrs. Mc., see.”

Yep, figurative language can be a problem in Kindergarten. She did clarify, and then he spent the next 20 minutes telling a story she was pretty sure had nothing to do with the picture he was showing them.

#2. One of her students got in a little trouble at recess for pulling down his pants and shaking his naked behind at a group of little girls. One of the teachers on recess duty relayed the story to Mrs. Mc. and the second delivered the little offender a few minutes later. Mrs. Mc. says to him, “So what happened at recess?”

“I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember, well, I guess I have enough time to wait until you can remember. You think about it.”

At that the little offender says, “Well, I do remember.”

“Why did you tell me didn’t remember then?”

“I think if I tell you how bad I really was you won’t let me have center time. But if I can’t member, then you don’t know it’s that bad, so I can still go to centers. But, now I’m just BUSTERED.”

“Bustered?”

“You know, when your mom says, “Now you did it BUSTER.” And you get it big trouble.”

“Yes, you’re right, you are bustered.”

In Kindergarten you learn new vocabulary every day! I sure hope there is a special place in heaven for Kindergarten teachers because they have earned it.