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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

24 Days of Christmas: Day 3



Have you ever been to a preschool gymnastics class?  Its pretty hilarious!  To see them springing on the trampoline and swinging on the bars and teetering on the beam... trying with all their might and fighting every urge to run around like little banshees.  I love it.  Missy has been taking gymnastics for a year and a half now and the thing that impresses me the most is not the maturity that she has gained, not the skills she has learned, not the dedication she gives to something at 3 years old by practicing at home as much as she can... the thing that impresses me the most is the patience of her coach.  

I have my degree in teaching... teaching elementary school.  However, I know that I do not possess the patience that it requires to teach the younger children.  I'd much rather have a classroom of thirty-four 6th graders than a class of twenty kindergartners.  Preschool? I don't think so.  Preschool Gymnastics?! A place where they can run around without desks and chairs for them to sit in? A place where older children and teenagers are tumbling? No way!!!  And there are only at the most 6 other preschoolers in her class!!  Yup!  "Miss Jennifer" has the patience of a saint!

She works with one child on a back bridge while simultaneously reminding another to stay in a certain position.  She helps one child with a spider hang on the uneven parallel bars while also reminding the other children to stay on their carpet squares.  She manages 3 jumping children on the trampoline while making sure the others are seated on the side of the trampoline and not falling off! She walks them, in a single file line, through the gym while the competitive girls are practicing their routines and skills all over and keeps them all safe and in line.  She cannot leave the child she is working with because that child is normally not in a position where they can do it on their own.  Could you imagine if she were to help a child get into a position hanging upside down on the bars and then walk away to redirect another?  She would have upset parents on her hand.  In the year and a half that I have watched Missy do gymnastics, I have not seen lose her patience once!! I can't recall her ever even raising her voice!  She has definitely not put my child at risk.  She calmly redirects the kids and they listen.  

She has definitely taught me a lot.  She has three children of her own, two of which I have met.  They are respectful and get along very well with my own children despite the rather large age gap.  I even believe that Missy has a huge crush on her son.  :)  Watching her reminds me of how I want to discipline and correct my own two little ones: with calm redirection rather than the impatient demands that I can lash out with in frustration.  Patience is not a strong suite of mine.  

Due to gymnastics, we decided on something very easy for Day 3 of Advent.  In the cone for day 3, they found a little ornament for each of them to put on their tree.  


Princess Aurora for Missy and Lightning McQueen for Bub.  Simple.  Short.  Sweet.  The longest part of the whole thing was them deciding on the perfect spot on their little tree to put their ornament!  



Each was moved around a handful of times before it was JUST RIGHT.  :)  My little perfectionists!  I think their little tree is turning out great!  Suites them perfectly!! Bright.  Colorful.  Whimsical.  Perfect.  



Until next time!

~Monica


3 comments:

  1. That's great that you have found a teacher like that !! And I think it's great you admit and know you don't have the patience for it , though I think you underestimate yourself ;) I have always been one with A LOT of patience , hubby sometimes still doesn't believe it lol, and I have even more patience when I have a large group of little ones - yep I'm crazy but that's why I want to teach K to 1. Haha . I think I'm starting to sense when you have a new blog up lol, I check and there it is haha!!

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    1. I have patience for older kids and large groups. I used to work with junior high school and high school students as well as teaching 6th grade and I coached basketball for 10 years. But when I worked as a sub, I learned that teaching the lower grades were not my cup of tea. :) I don't know what it is. Probably the mess and the lack of order... lol

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    2. I bet!! haha- nothing wrong with that, it's just not for everyone! I can't imagine myself teaching older kids...so there you go! :)

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