But I Smile Anyway…

Linda’s SoCS prompt

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “class.” Use any meaning of the word in your post. Enjoy!

Class – well it’s pretty obvious what I’ll end up rambling about when I hear the word class, being a teacher!

It’s nearing the year end, reports are being written, progress reports are being filled in, thoughts of next year are forming…

But what of the class?

If you remember, back in September, I was nearly bald with tearing my hair out!

This is my first full academic year if being a teacher. Yes I’ve worked I education longer, but I decided to take the plunge and actually use my degree properly last year.

My first ever class…it was described as a ‘baptism of fire’!

Then, I felt my mornings and afternoons were being lived in a parallel universe.

As a Nursery teacher in a school we operate on a morning and afternoon session method, so 20 kids in the morning and a different 20 in the afternoon. 

It should be relatively simple, similar things happening in each session…. But oh no!

The morning class were what we expected, but the afternoon class…. OMG!

From language, to behavior, to Special Needs, to protected children, we had em all! Spoilt only children, unloved, neglected children….

4 adults in the room weren’t enough!

I can’t say I hated it, but the challenges were (and are) so great, I was exhausted. I’d been bitten, sworn at, accused of allsorts, amid the snotty hugs and “I love you Mrs Bhathal’s”.

Would we ever be able to do anything with this class apart from baby sit? It was doubtful…

Now we have 5 weeks left.

And even though I can’t say that developmentally, they are where we would want them to be, there is improvement.

And over the year, there has developed an attachment between me and them. 

Yes I’ll be glad to see them move on, but I’ll miss this class. Crazy or not, they will always be my first class, and from them, I’ve learned a lot!

Next month I’ll be meeting our new intake, due to start in September… Heaven knows what class of children we’ll be blessed with this time?!