Round Two

[Editor’s note: No-sleep-till-Brooklyn is the pseudonym for a kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn who is starting a second year of teaching.]

A few weeks into my last month of freedom, I sat chatting with a friend from college. Summer had flown by without a word shared between us, and after hours of hearty laughter we promised never to get so distracted by life that we couldn’t spare a moment to check in on each other.

As our conversation progressed, my friend casually inquired, “So, do you think you’ll survive year two of teaching kindergarten?” Her question got me thinking, is that what I did last year? Survive?

I have decided that my friend’s description works – if I learned one thing over the past year, I learned how to survive – and I think deep down that was my goal in the first place. I survived by keeping my cool as a 4-year-old boy urinated and defecated on my classroom floor. I survived by singing and dancing when kindergarten got a little too serious for the children (and for myself). I survived by putting a smile on my face and reaching out to other teachers when the administration made decisions that made me want to scream.

Surviving and taking the school year one day at a time was no easy task. As I look forward to another year of kindergarten, I have a new goal in mind. I want to survive the school year with style. If I am to survive with style, then I must enter my classroom on day one with clear expectations, for my students as well as myself.

My classroom with be a safe and comfortable place for all of us. Students will treat each other as they want to be treated and will learn to respect each other’s differences. I will lead by example, and I will be the very best model of what I want to see from my students. Lessons will be intriguing and tactile, and students will return home each day with a new story to tell. I will bring the outside world to my students in every way possible, and my students will go forth into the world to see what their neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods have to offer.

Teaching last year was all about my personal welfare and my survival. This year I have refocused my sight on the students. Who knows what my class will be like and what challenges my students might bring, but I have confidence that we will go far together this year.

I am ready to deal with the inevitable sassy mouths and dirty language. I am prepared to lend an ear and hug students with who come to school with their thoughts still dwelling on family. I am eager to help students learn the alphabet song and read their first story book. I am anxious to make my children feel loved and important.

From July to August, I have been mentally preparing myself for another year of kindergarten. With September arriving shortly, it is now time to arrange my classroom and prepare for another batch of the lil’ guys. The children coming will have curious minds as well as curious hands, children who will not be able to focus on one task for more than five minutes, children who won’t be able to read or write or count.

I am sure that during my first week I will sorely miss the children from last June, who left my classroom very capable. Nevertheless, I am challenged by my goal of surviving with style and dedicating myself to making this year an unforgettable one for the children.

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