CrAzY DaYs with CrAzY KiDs!

It was a sunny day. I was strolling through the playground soaking in the sun. I loved to hear the children's laughter ringing through the air. WHAM!!! My world was shaken as a football soared through the air and crashed into my head. Three little boys snickered..."Got her!" they cheered.
It's nothing new....just another day at work.
I give them a stare....a death stare. (It's not a very good stare since my eyes are still spinning in my head). They rush off to find their next victim....
This was a few weeks after I started work at SCA. What have I gotten myself into, I wondered. Everyday was like this......the kids thought it was funny to see just how far they could go before I either died....or went insane. (They did a pretty good job at it too.) I am pretty sure I have a couple of gray hairs in my head somewhere because of my work.
I know what it feels like to be completely helpless while the kids get the great idea of.....a dogpile! They throw themselves into a giant heap of mangled bodies. The poor souls on the bottom squirm and gasp for air. Menwhile I am standing over them screaming, "Get Up!!! Right Now!!!!" It doesn't phase them. "I'm going to count to three and you all better be sitting on the floor!!! 1....2....2 1/2.....2 3/4.....3!!!!!" I don't think they even hear me. So I began to pull the tangled bodies apart and deposit them on the floor. Slowly but surely I make my way to the bottom of the pile and free the squashed kid underneath. The day goes on like nothing happened.
I have experienced the scary feeling of losing a child. We are out on the playground enjoying the day when all of a sudden we notice that someone is missing! Great. We begin casually looking around the playground for this lost kid. When we realize he is not outside we return to the classroom. .Now we start to get frantic! "Where are you??!!" we yell through the school...over and over again. No answer. Now I'm gonna have to inform this mother that I misplaced her son. I shudder at the thought. We stay around for several minutes yelling and searching and yelling somemore. Finally when we decide to look somewhere else, we hear a snicker coming from under the table. Here comes the kid....crawling out from under the table with a huge grin on his face. "Ha! I tricked you!!!!" he shouts in glee. I clinch my fists, grit my teeth, and walk off......that's all I can do. Walk away. LOL
Working at SCA has also given me the opportunity to be insulted...deeply. I remember one day about a year after I started working here. I was eating lunch with my then third graders. (I had been their teacher when they were second graders). One of my redneck boys from Gaffney named Zach looked at me and said.."Ya know Miss Kinsey...when you first came here I thought you were ugly, but now I'm starting to get used to ya." I gave him a blank stare. "Thanks Zach," I said. "That means the world to me." haha I remember another time going into work and being greeted by Maribeth. "Hi Miss Kinsey. Wow! What are you wearing? That outfit is definitely not working for you." I've also had the pleasure of being told....that no wonder I didn't have a boyfriend...."I mean...look at her." You can't help but laugh at these kids. They definitely say some things that make you wish you had a tape recorder.
One of the best parts about working with these children is the opportunity I have had to become part of their family. It is so nice to go somewhere and have one of my kids run up and hug me, or go to church and have the kids run over to sit with me. It really could give you a big head if you let it. lol I have gotten used to being called "mama" by these kids. I feel like I am around them more than their parents are....and I guess it shows when they slip up and refer to me as their mother. :-) It is not unusual to see me on the playground with a kid on my back and one kid wrapped around each foot as I "drag" them around the playground. I would rather be here than in a boring old office somewhere.
Since I started working with the afterschool program at SCA my days are never dull. Boring is not the adjective to describe working with these children! Over two years ago I decided to start looking for work in childcare to see if education was a suitable career for me. When I first started working I was a little scared because I had set my mind on teaching, but the experiences I had during my first few weeks made me worry that I had the wrong idea! I decided to stick with it, and I soon saw that even though the work is demanding and nothing short of crazy at times......I wouldn't trade it for the world! My students are incredible people and have definitely made my life better. It is so good to have little children that love you and look up to you. I wouldn't lie and say my children are angels. Ha! But I am so thankful for the opportunity I 've had to be a part of these kids' lives. They are some CrAzY kids....but that's what makes them so awesome!!!