They've Killed My Spirit

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Ok, so it was just the worst of times. I don't know if it's me, or the weather, or the time of year it is, or if demon possession is involved, or what, but I'm seriously having issues with my job right now. I'm a preschool teacher. But it seems as though I am the warden at pre-juvie. The kids have lost their ever-loving minds! Yelling, pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, running all over the place, and they absolutely will not shut up! If something doesn't change soon, this job is going to keep me from ever wanting children of my own.

Now, you're probably thinking "Amber, that seems like pretty normal behavior for 4 and 5 year olds - especially when you get a group of them together." But the problem is, these are the same kids I've had all year long. And this behavior just started in the last month.

And it's not just my class. It's the entire preschool. Is there a sign above the door stating "Your Child Must Be This Defiant To Enroll"? Have aliens invaded and abducted all the preschoolers in the area for some grand scheme to take over the world? I'm really starting to lean toward my old demon possession theory, which is rather amusing when you consider the fact that our preschool is owned by a Pentecostal church. Maybe we should have someone come in and pray over our classes. Couldn't hurt, right?

I've decided that the only way to keep myself from totally snapping is to just stop caring. Sounds so easy, doesn't it? Just quit worrying about trying to be a part of helping these kids grow into well-adjusted adults. I'm going to stop worrying about getting them ready for kindergarten (they know the academic stuff, but behavior-wise? Let's just say I'm already praying for their kindergarten teachers!). Instead, I'm going to focus on what I've been doing a pretty good job of so far - keeping them alive long enough to make it to kindergarten. It's all about setting reachable goals.