Perfect Timing

There are few defining moments that are instantly recognizable.  Usually it takes time, distance, perspective, and years of therapy to show you the lessons of today.  Seldom are you able to walk away from an occurrence with usable insight.  I experienced one today...in my kindergarten class.  I knew at once that a.) I was in the right place, and b.) this kid was sent by angels.  I tell you, this kindergarten stuff just writes itself.

I have been having a bit of difficulty in my class lately.  I attribute it to, a lack of sleep, refined sugar, MTV, poor hygiene, low self esteem, the tides, the moon being in the seventh house, irregularity, the weather, South Park, and the cancelling of Bonnie Hunt's talk show...but enough about me.  The kids have also been pretty loopy lately.  It seems that no matter what I try there is always a faction that is bent on not learning and taking a group of friends with them.  I have to admit, there are times when the kids leave for the day and I just have to sit there and think, "for this I gave up being a crash test dummy?"  I pull myself together, dust myself off, take a Silkwood shower in hand sanitizer, and get ready for the next day.  I also look forward to times like I had today.  They are like the little non-monetary bonuses that come with the teaching profession.  They rank right up there with June, July, and August and I normally don't like to share things that happen with current students but I will make an exception for something this momentous.

Let me set the scene:

All 29 of my five and six year olds are sitting on their squares on the carpet (criss-cross-applesauce) and I am going over the calendar, the latest sentences, the newest words that we should all know, and the letter of the week ("K" if you really must know).  I am on a roll and trying to keep the kids interested by moving myself from one wall to the next to the next.  Each time I have the kids "scootch" to look at whatever I am pointing at now.  They usually love this activity and I try to stay one step ahead of losing their interest by jumping from one spot to another.  I haven't told them that they are moving in 90 degree increments (that comes later...right after we memorize the first act of Othello) but they have fun doing the scootching. 

This morning I was moving back and forth and jumping and I had them in the palm of my hand for about ten minutes.  When it happened.  This is the kind of thing that changes lives.  I was there.  It was great.  I understood the importance of this immediately.  I was moved by the magnitude of the event.

So, back to the class.  Like I said, I was moving from place to place and trying to keep the majority of the kids looking at me and not at the giant gob of bodily fluid that invariably enters into the class whenever I have some momentum going.  Seriously, I should have t-shirts printed that say, "We are one snot bubble away from pandemonium!"  I would sell one to every teacher on the planet!  But I digress...

So here I am, moving my overfed frame as agilely as I dare and pointing my little plastic pointer at various things on the walls (it's shaped like a gloved hand on the end of a stick...that's the kind of guy I am) when all of a sudden I misjudged my final step.  My foot caught on one of the many racks that grace my room and I started to fall.  Seeing as I have an extensive history in ballet, gymnastics, kung fu, and yoga I started to go down like a stone.  Picture the dancing hippos from Disney's Fantasia, only not nearly as graceful...but I did have on the tutu  In my extreme desire to not squish a child beyond recognition I lifted the offending foot and slammed it down as hard as I could.  So now we have a giant (compared to the average kinder) teacher falling toward the class and then bringing his size fourteen orthopedic shoe slapping down to the ground.  Let's just say, there was a noise and the kids did notice.

Now I have tripped, fallen, stomped and barely saved myself from having to explain why one of my students was now flat.  And one of my little darlings, without missing a beat, says, "That's gonna leave a mark."

Dude!!  Are YOU in the right class!  You made the blog!  Gotta love em!