Making a list of what I’ve witnessed/done/learned in the months I’ve worked as a SPED Paraprofessional at Pre-K:
• taught 4 year olds what the skin on your elbow is called
• taught another 4 year old how to wink
• convinced one of my favorite kids that he has a little friend named ghosty ghost following him around who pokes him at random intervals throughout the day
• taught a special needs student who didn’t speak when I met him how to communicate with me specifically through hand signals that indicated what animal he was - does it swim/fly/walk, what does it eat, is it big/small - to which he now speaks more now then he has probably ever
• got played by a 4 year old who wanted a second snack so he casually slid me the last two gushers from his bag and then turned to the teacher and said, “I’m done!”
• got a group of special ed pre-k kids to officially deem bath and body works eucalyptus hand sanitizer as “the good stuff”
• made a joke to a three year old that the enormous books he read after snack every day made him look like he was reading a newspaper. They made a joke every single day that they were on their way to read their newspapers. (It was a volcano book) 😭
• learned that pipe cleaners have metal in them. Yes, I am twenty four.
learned who Pete the Cat was
• learned that adult women between the ages of 35-40 really do act like adult children
• got complimented that my hair was “rapunzel hair” despite it not being cut for like 7 months
• learned how to be a physical touch person despite hating being hugged but hey, four year olds want to hug you constantly and how are you going to deny those puppy dog eyes?
ended up buying one of the little ones who lost his house in a tornado a stuffy and a book.. took it to his house, where he then proceeded to act like he had no idea who I was (it was cute in the moment)
apparently line tag is a thing??? on a basketball court??
oh also, they crack up with laughter when I play tag with them!
they smell markers for sport
You think they realize common little games like staring contests and then when you realize they don’t and teach them anyway they go around and teach their little minions
I have heard them sing: Barbie Girl, Flowers, Unholy, and the one song from Wednesday I can’t remember the name of 😂
I had a guy pass me a love note through his second grade son. No joke. He gave it to his kid, who gave it to the teacher to give to me, and the note was asking me out on a date.
Had a 4 year old straight up innocently say a curse word from his encoded message to his father which said, “dad: please don’t bust my a** anymore.” (Which, according to aunt who worked in building, has only happened once) And about DIED from laughing so hard. So did the teachers.
I got addicted to the snacks I had never tried until working with pre-school. SunChips and Rice Krispies never die.
Found out one of my little boys called me Carla to his parents because they couldn’t quite figure out what name he was saying. It was only upon meeting me that they said, “oh YOU’RE Kayla! We called you Carla for days!”
They sang a song about Goldfish. That song is now burned into my memory. Why is some young children’s music so freaking catchy?
On the last day, my favorite girl turned around to look at me before she got on the bus. I didn’t have the heart to really tell her that I wasn’t coming back. What I said was very brief. When she did turn around, I waved. She waved back. Little did she know I BROKE the second she walked through that door and disappeared. I didn’t think I’d come to love her as much as I did but she made it so EASY.
My oldest boy who I was the aide for? I met his grandmother, and she now sends me such wholesome photos of him and stresses that my loving him the way I did made a huge difference. She doesn’t know how hard I cry every single time she says it.
They have lungs. And I made the mistake of sticking them on high swings they can’t get to by themselves, which they all want to fight over, so half the time I wanted to just talk to teachers I ended up hearing: “MISSSSSSSSS KAYLLLAAAA!!! WILL YOU COME PUSH ME?” Hollered across the playground.
^ I will never make that same mistake again. 😂
Not everyone is meant for pre-school, but MAN… did I love it.
Cons: I never got included in anything by the teachers or their aides. They never included me, and man did that sting.
I GOT PINK EYE IN BOTH EYES THE DAY AFTER SCHOOL ENDED FOLKS