There was no reason for me to be nervous on the first day of kindergarten, but I was. Would these kids like fine? Would the teacher like me? Would I be useful? There were so many questions but most of them were answered in the short time I volunteered.
I found it interesting to just how fast kids could adapt to a new person in the classroom. Their teacher told me that they usually like volunteers more because they weren't as mean as she was. I don't know if that was the case, but I know I made a couple good friends at Harris Elementary in Room 17.
Those friends and I learned a lot from each other. They taught me that kids have some crazy and brilliant ideas sometimes. After story hour, some of them would talk about their feelings, how the story relates to their own lives, or they would ask questions and more questions. Why did the Greeks always talk so much about themselves? These kids were the driest, the most info-seeking sponges that could exist.
So I became I bucket. I tried my hardest to hold enough information for them to dip into and suck up. I found the best way to do this was one on one. Group activities were fun, but if you have too many sponges in one bucket, it gets a little crowded and there's not enough information to share. I think the kids felt special and cared about when I took each out into the hall to learn and practice their addresses and phone numbers. They practiced for day afterwards and were sure to share their information with me a couple weeks later.
Hearing them repeat their phone numbers were one of the many rewards I received during my time at Harris. The whole experience was rewarding, but most of all, the best rewards were the hugs and smiles I received from Terrance, Anne Made, Lod, Briana, Cherie, Kyle and all of the others.
At the beginning of the term, I was nervous. But after only a short time, these kids strolled right into a place in my heart.