Patience.

Come wash your hands, please. Use your words. Use your walking feet. Hold the railing, please. Use your words. Tell him you need space. Quiet voices inside. Use your words. {repeat repeat repeat repeat}

Did you hear what I said?

My job requires a lot of repeating myself! And it can easily wear a person out having to say the same things over and over again every day. Last week I was with the 3 1/2 year old class and we were walking back from the gym to their classroom upstairs. Usually they need to be reminded to hold the railing or use their inside voices, but this particular afternoon there were a few little boys who were having a hard time using their walking feet. They were wrestling and pulling each other on the rope, all while screaming of course. I asked them if they were going to be able to calm their bodies or if they needed some help. After a few warnings I told one of the boys he was going to lose the privilege of holding the rope and he sort of melted down at that point (in the middle of the stairs, of course making it difficult for everyone to walk around him). I told him how sad it was that he wasn't listening to my words and that he needed to move so his friends could get into the classroom. After he was pulled aside I asked him what he did that made me sad and he said he wasn't listening and he was playing on the stairs when he should have been walking. So he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing, he was just having a hard time doing it.

While this whole dramatic scene was talking place there were two parents following behind me on their way to pick up their kids. They were talking to each other but loud enough that I could also hear. The mom was saying things like, "Wow, imagine the patience it takes to work here. I could never work here. She's so calm and that kid isn't listening at all..." This made me laugh and I wanted to tell her, "you can't even imagine what an average day sounds like around here!"

Since I heard that comment I've been even more intentional with having patience with the children. I never know who will be listening- a parent, another teacher, or even just the other kids. They pick up on your tone instantly and when a teacher is yelling the kids get agitated with each other really quickly. Sometimes its exhausting trying to keep your cool and repeat yourself calmly, but I know that its the best way to handle the situations. God has blessed me with the gift of patience and has placed me at this child care so I can continue training myself to be patient in tough situations.

And if you have a hard time with patience, I recommend the patience song... :)