Preschool: Being a Mom and a Teacher

Last week, a couple of neighborhood moms and I started our own preschool. Every week we take turns teaching and hosting our three pupils, and this week was my turn.

It's been pretty fun so far. Last week, I really enjoyed having time to get things accomplished while Kevin was over at the neighbor's house. This week, I was a little nervous to teach, but I think things went really well. Both kids that were able to come this week were very bright and intelligent, and we had a great time.

One of the hardest things for me right now is knowing how to be a teacher and a mom.

Last week during church, I was teaching music to the children and Kevin started acting out. I can't really blame him. It was the first week back in our ward after we'd been gone for six weeks, and his mom was there, so he felt the need to push buttons.

I'm afraid I didn't respond very well. As a parent, I felt responsibility for my child, and so, instead of ignoring his behavior, I corrected him abruptly and then tried to invite him up to help me. It didn't help; if anything it made his behavior worse. I was at a loss for what to do when his primary teacher offered to take him out of the room.

When he came back in, he was folding his arms, and there was a marked improvement in his behavior. I was really grateful to his wonderful teachers.

The way I dealt with it has been bothering me ever since, and after a lot of prayer and thought, I think I have a game plan for this Sunday. I hope it works. :)

I've had a similar problem at preschool this week. Usually, the other kid has been very well behaved and Kevin has occasionally had a tantrum. The first day it was hard, but I think I handled it better today.

I've been really impressed by how well the kids have been doing though. It's been really fun to teach them, and it's been a good review of some of the skills I developed in college. Kevin's loved having more social time as well.

He's a pretty social kid and he loves playing with friends. Sometimes, because he doesn't have siblings, he doesn't share very well, but he's learning. It was fun to see the areas in which each child excelled.

I'm still learning too. This is the first time I've ever been the mom of a three-year-old, after all. My teaching classes in college never really taught me what to do when my own child is in the class. I love it though. I love seeing how Kevin interacts with his friends and classmates.

It's been challenging in ways that I didn't expect, but also a lot more fun!