Puppetry

This is a classic 1987 Model-A puppet.

No.. this post isn't about being manipulated by a principal (ala being "puppet-ed") or about a new superintendent (ala "puppet regime"). It is 100% about puppets...and it's a story that I've been trying to avoid for a long while now. The great negro league pitcher, Sachel Paige once said "Never look behind you, because something might be gaining on you" Well, I have. It's puppets.

It's all goes back to my childhood (not really) where I would regularly engage in playing with puppets (or "puppetry" as it is called by us experts) both before and after school, long into the wee hours of the morn. One day, at the age of 19, my father told me to put the puppets up and go to college and  that was it. There's some verse in the Bible about "when I became a man, I put away childish things" and this pretty much fit the bill. The puppets and I went separate ways just as did Pete Best and the Beatles. We we're just better off apart. I dare not go back there.

Fast forward several years and thousands of dollars in student loans later later: puppets are making a comeback. Do you remember how I told you that most elementary school counselors were females, in their late 50's? Apparently 50 year old women love puppets. When I inherited my new position, the retiring counselor made sure to relay "..and by the way, I left the box of puppets for you", to which I shuddered. The state that I live in further solidifies the place of puppetry in the classroom by providing counselors with a state guidance curriculum that utilizes puppets in more than 50% of it's lessons. Either the department of elementary and secondary education is made up of 50 year old's who play with puppets all day long, or kids really do like puppets.

The time is coming neigh when I will have to open up that box of puppets and start engaging the children with silly voices and names like "Thad". I guess this is one more of those times in life, where putting away my own preferences, is really what's better for me.. and for others.

Kindergarteners

Little did I know that the Disney cartoon "Recess" would be more preparation for the world of kindergarten 
than 6 years of higher education and a lot of experience herding sheep.

Many of the more weathered teachers would tell you right off the bat that since the beginning of time, there has been no more of a degenerate and manipulative creature in the history of the world than the parvulus kindgartenicus.. otherwise known as the kindergarten child. I was also once told by a crusty old veteran teacher that teaching kindergarten students was akin to "herding puppies". Being a non-biased and individualistic soul, I accepted none of these remarks, and approached instructing kindergarteners with a completely open mind (yeah, right). 

Let me go back a step... my district is a little different than all the other ones.. let me break it down for you. We take every kindergarten aged youngling in a 30 - 40 mile radius and put them all in one building. Yea, one building. 400 kindergarteners. No kidding. Seriously.  Oh yea, they don't have a school counselor, so each elementary level counselor in the district takes a turn there one day a week. So, once a week, I take a walk up the road to the kindergarten building and experience a plethora of new emotions every 15 minutes or so.

Thing is, I kind of like it. It's been quite a learning experience to say the least and kindergarten students are kind of cute.. when they're not dirty, disobeying, climbing on things, spitting, talking about hitting people, talking about hitting puppies, talking about hitting their little sister, talking about hitting their grandma, picking their nose, chewing with their mouth open, crying over (literally) spilled milk, spilling their milk, talking about spilling their milk on another student's head, asking where milk comes from

.. or calling me "Mr. Fartkins". Which has happened twice now.

I love kindergarteners.

Why?

Do you have these in a size 9?

I like Converse shoes.

Apparently, school counselors aren't supposed to wear them. This was brought to my attention last week when several of the more easy-going students (all under age 11) began to inquire why I was wearing "teenager shoes". This new paradigm shift for me was further cemented when the following day several additional students mentioned their happiness that I was "back to wearing adult shoes".

I hate blogs.

I don't really like blogs, they are often too yucky and emo. I just want a place to share the funny (and sometimes profound) things that happen to me when I work with kids. That is all.

I like kids.

I'm not quite sure just how I got here. After some work in various fields of mental health, I've found myself here in education. I love it. I love where I'm going. I love showing up to work every day. It pays better too. I'm 24 years old and I have a master's degree; most of the other faculty members are twice my age and old enough to be my parent (which I hear consistently). Most school counselors are teachers that are on their way to retirement (think 50 years old +) and think that they are going to be slowing down by becoming a guidance counselor (heh), here I am riding a wave of new generation school counselors with little to no educational experience but a lot of spunk and enthusiasm.

SO..

This will be a place where I post some observations and such along with the occasional humorous story. No real names will be used and all coincidences are purely.. coincidental