Day 1 of Year 2

Today was the first day of the new school year. I had mixed emotions as the day ended. I was happy because I met my new pupils and the school year seemed to have started right. However, I also felt sad because I won't be handling last year's toddlers anymore.


But let me start with the positive side.


A while ago, I met this school year's batch of toddlers, my second batch of pupils. Here's how our day went.


To give them time to warm up, I let them choose the toys they want to play with. Free Play Time was a big help to my pupils because they easily became comfortable staying in class. I had no difficulty convincing them to let their parents and guardians leave and come back after 3 hours!

Playing with colorful blocks

Play dough molding

Top 5 Disasters in a Classroom with 18 Toddlers

5. Spilled Yakult

Most of my pupils love drinking Yakult just like almost all children (and even adults, like my older brother) do. Hence, most of them have a bottle of Yakult during Snack Time. During our first few weeks, my co-teacher and I usually opened the wrappers of the children’s biscuits or bread and punched their packed juice with a straw right after we finished praying for the food. As for a Yakult bottle, we usually removed the entire foil lid. At first, the sight of Yakult was ordinary to me. But after a series of events, it became dreadful for me. Almost everyday, at least one child spills a bottle of Yakult on the table and down to the floor. Then, he/she steps on it. And then a classmate steps on it and then walks around the classroom and then steps on the rubber mats. Some children even drink while walking or running! And there, there is sticky feel all over the classroom! Mind you, the sticky-ness cannot be wiped off easily. A wet cloth is not enough. And even if you wipe it off several times, the presence of sticky-ness is still there. A disaster, indeed. Because of this, we have decided not to remove the Yakult’s lid until the child is ready to drink it. I love Yakult. But I hate Yakult spills. I would love it more if straws are included in the package.

4. Scattered toys

Two-year-old children are at a stage in which they are still discovering a lot about themselves and what they could do and about their surroundings as well. They love to hear sounds, look at pictures, touch and manipulate objects around them. That is why my pupils love to scatter the toys in our classroom. They love throwing toys and hear the sound when a toy hits the wall. They love mixing different toys together until it becomes difficult for us, teachers, to sort them. Believe me, seeing scattered toys is a disaster. And in our classroom, toys are not just scattered… They are also flying!

I want to be like them.

Written on June 21, 2009.

Masaya kahit medyo pagod. —- Ito ang summary ng 1-week practicum experience ko. Sobrang saya ko dahil answered prayer, napunta ako sa Toddlers’ Class. Nakakatawa lang kasi wala akong expectations. Kaya ayun, na-shock yata ako pagpasok ko nung Tuesday! Haha.
Iyak, karga, iyak, karga, iyak, iyak, iyak—- ito ang scene sa classroom. Nanakit talaga ang katawan ko! Hanggang ngayon actually… Hehe.
But more than the muscle pain, mas natatak sa akin yung lessons na natutunan ko sa pag-papracticum ko. Nung Tuesday, habang tinitignan ko yung mga bata, nasabi ko na lang kay Lord, “I want to be like these children…”
Bakit? Hehe. Kasi nakakatuwa sila. :D  Kaya pala Jesus delighted in children. Una, napaka-dependent nila sa parents nila, to the point na iiyak sila nang todo ‘pag umalis na ng classroom yung parents. At hindi sila talaga titigil. At kahit may ginagawa na sila (kunwari naglalaro), once in a while naaalala nila yung parents nila at iiyak sila ulit. Hehe. Naisip ko, ganito rin ba ako kay God? Am I in despair without Him? O ‘pag busy na ako, hindi ko na Siya naaalala? Isa pa, nakakatuwa kasi nakikinig sila at nagtitiwala! Nung minsan sabi ko dun sa isang bata pagkatapos niyang mag-toothbrush, “Diyan ka muna ha, babalik si Teacher” (kasi may isa pang bata akong iaassist). Aba, I was surprised to see her waiting for me! Hindi talaga siya umalis. :) Ganito rin kaya ako? Nakikinig at nagtitiwala ba ako?
Ilan lang ‘tong mga ito sa characteristics ng mga bata na super na-amaze ako. I believe na marami pa akong matutunan… Nakaka-excite! I love children! I want to be like them. I want to be a child before the Lord—- helpless, dependent, and trusting Him always.