Jerry Maguire Was Right

I didn't know I'd fall so hard,

that day I first walked in.

I met you with a nervousness

and saw your little grins.

You felt the butterflies, like me, 

but bravely took a seat.

It wasn't long before we found 

good ways to meet and greet.

I hadn't been in kindergarten

for 23 long years.

I wondered if we'd be OK,

would there be any tears?

We sang some songs, I read a lot -

Great ways to break the ice.

We ate a snack and played outside,

(this might be very nice.)

As hours passed by, we realized

 that all was going well.

We might just make it through day one,

with good reports to tell.

To think I worried, will it work?

Do I still have the stuff?

Can I make a difference, am I too old,

will it be enough?

But in you came, and welcomed me,

whether I was ready or not.

You grabbed me with your little hands

and tugged right at my heart.

So, here's the thing I want to say

In case you didn't know.

The first day back in school that day -

You had me at hello!

Congratulations to my 

sweet 2011-12 kindergarten graduates.

Thanks for teaching me so much this year.

 I will miss you and always remember

my first year back in kindergarten!

Love,

Mrs. Bowen

©2012tbowenblog

What I Learned in Kindergarten

What  I Learned in Kindergarten This Year

by

Mrs. Bowen

 

I went back to kindergarten this year.

I hadn't been there in 23 years.

No, I'm not a slow learner.

I learned a lot of stuff.

I learned how to call things "stuff"

if you don't know the word for it.

I learned how to perform 

in front of an audience.

It's not every day I get to

use my French accent.

I learned that 

 full moons, especially 

phenomena called super moons,

do the same thing for five-year olds

as they do for second graders.

I learned the b-word,

remember,

b..b..b...bumblebee.

I learned how to 

dodge germs 

while at the same time,

embracing them with all my being.

I learned that 

if you want to make someone really happy...

sing.

I learned that 

I can indeed hear twenty

different things at once,

and still

focus on the task at hand.

I learned that the apple

does not fall far from the tree,

which makes we wonder 

what that says for

my family

tree.

I learned that being called

"teacher" a hundred times a day

can finally 

seem natural.

I learned that if you assume
they can learn all the lyrics to a french song
and how to correctly use "oviparous"
in a sentence
in less than two days,
they  can.

I learned that if you read a storybook

like you really believe it,

all your little friends 

will believe it too.

I learned that grandma-age kindergarten teachers
need naps when they get home
WAY more than
momma-age kindergarten teachers.

I learned that there is a 
direct correlation between how much
learning and fun took place in class that day
with how messy the room looks
when you're finished.

I learned that a piece of candy
still has amazing leverage.
It has magic powers.

I learned that if you tell a kindergartner
they have "one minute" to
get back from the restroom,
they really believe they can
get back in one minute.
Unless...they decide to 
sit in the sink for awhile. 

And finally,
I learned that if you tell your children
over and over all year 
that you're the Mother Duck and
they are your little ducklings,
it will only make it harder 
to send them out into the first-grade
world on the last day of school.

Aahh, (sigh)...
my work here is done.
©2012tbowenblog

I Beg to Differ

So they call it a "Super" moon.

Hmmph.

OK, it's pretty.

It's bright.

It is VERY bright.

But super?

 I have some better adjectives.
I'll keep them to myself.

You may not think I know of which I speak.

Let me assure you, 

I do.

Super moons apparently make children do things...

things they normally wouldn't do...

WEIRD things...

Like trading shoes.

Without me noticing.

Boys and girls.
Boys with girls.

Like tattling...excessive tattling.
Informants... they think

....for humming
and breaking butterfly wings

and breathing too loud.

Like standing in the bathroom...

with two feet

 straddling the top of two urinals?
Super hero
under a Super moon.

Maybe Super moons make teachers

do things they normally wouldn't do too.

WEIRD things...

Sorry, but can't tell you

about that .

I have some Facebook friends 

that are also parents of my darlin's.

I've got a reputation

to keep.

For two more weeks, anyways.

Smile.

©2012tbowenblog

Where's the dictionary?

Alouette, gentille Alouette
Alouette je te plumerai
Alouette, gentille Alouette
Alouette je te plumerai
Je te plumerai la tete
Je te plumerai la tete
Et la tte, et la tete
Alouette, Alouette
O-o-o-o-oh
Alouette, gentille Alouette
Alouette je te plumerai

I once gave Mother Goose 

a hard time for writing such bleak, depressing rhymes.  

 Karma decided to pay a visit today.

 Yes, we did just raise adorable baby chicks from eggs in our classroom.  

Yes, we do love birds.

Yes, I did teach a favorite childhood french song to my kids this week. 

No, I didn't bother finding out exactly what it meant 

until after 

they fell in love with it's fun french words and catchy tune.

Translation:

  Lark, nice Lark (or Lark, lovely Lark)

Lark, I am going to pluck you
I am going to pluck your head,
I am going to pluck your head,
And the head, and the head,
O-o-o-o-oh

Uh oh.