Project 2: Organize Your Speech
Time: Five to Seven Minutes
Miss Daisy! Miss Daisy! Look what I did! Miss Daisy, I need to go to the bathroom!
Miss Daisy, my shoes are untied! Miss Daaaaaisy! Ah, the daily trials of a kindergarten teacher. Such was my life.
Fresh out of college, I joined a program called Teach for
America, where I spent my days teaching underprivileged children. I was
assigned to teach kindergarten.
I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. What was I
thinking? Nothing forces you to mature faster than controlling the chaos
created by 30 kindergarteners, all while trying to cram vital information into
their brains.
I wore many different hats other than being a teacher. I was
part-time parent, when their own parents couldn’t be there for them. Part-time
police officer, busting the candy black market on a daily basis. Part-time nutritionist,
making sure they didn’t blow their lunch money on doritos. Part-time nurse, bandaging
up little booboos and ouchies with spongebob bandaids. And my favorite,
part-time janitor, mopping up spills, accidents, and occasionally vomit and
pee.
It’s not as bad as I make it sound. Despite my initial
fears, I was actually a very good teacher and the kids were adorable.
I don’t have children, and after teaching young children for
a few years…I have the strong urge to keep it that way.
But really, even though I don’t have kids of my own, I think
I’ve learned a few things about parenting during those years. Today, I would
like to reveal some good parenting practices. This is for anyone out there who
is planning to spawn, keep this in mind so you don’t drive your child’s future
kindergarten teacher up a wall.
Good parenting practice #2: Teach your children how to wash their hands. As cute as little kids are, let’s face it, they are germ factories. Their hands have more bacteria than you could culture in a petri dish! I can’t even remember the amount of times I observed a kid dig touch the floor and then stick their thumb in their mouths, ick! And then they would get sick. So parents, make it a habit for your kids to wash their hands.
Good parenting practice #3: Teach your children that they are responsible for their own homework. The earlier your kids take responsibility for themselves, the more self-motivated they’ll be and the better they will do in school. Routine is important, set a designated “homework” time. Excellence is the result of developing good habits, and before long, you’ll notice your child automatically doing their own homework without supervision, simply because they are accustomed to the routine.
Good parenting practice #4: Don’t tell your children they’re
smart. This goes against everything we know as parents, but praising your child
with “Oh Johnny, you’re so smart,” will end up crippling him. And I’ll tell you
why. They’ll get it into their heads that they need to appear smart all the
time, and thus will go to great lengths to avoid anything that might make them
look stupid. They’ll shy away from trying new things, and be more prone to
giving up easily. So when Johnny does something correctly, instead of saying,
“Wow, Johnny, you’re so smart,” tell him “Wow, Johnny, I liked how you worked
hard on that. I like how you didn’t give up until you got the correct
solution.” Kids who are told this work harder, have more persistence, and don’t
back down when they encounter new problems. This will set them up for success in life.
So those are my four parenting tips for getting your child
ready for kindergarten, for school and life. Follow these and not only will
teachers thank you, but your kid will most likely grow up to be well rounded
and successful.
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