"Why?" I asked.
"Because they give us so much: shade, paper, homes to animals, fruit," they said. "They also give us these shelves, the blocks, and home center so that we can play."
"How can we be nice to trees?" I asked.
"When we are in the art center, we use one paper and flip it to use the other side," they said.
These kids make me proud. I decided I just could not end our unit on trees without introducing Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, and The Lorax, by Dr.Seuss.
So off I went to Half Priced Books, a new gem we've discovered. I decided not to purchase the books (Amazon offers a better deal and the books were too dirty). But, I took my time to reread them. There are no words that will explain my emotions that I felt right then. My heart was warm, fuzzy and definitely swelling with much gratitude. My job as a Preschool teacher gives me countless opportunities to not only revisit my childhood, but to remind myself of the most important things in life. With time and age, we get so distracted, so confused with what the world throws at us. We easily lose track the core values of life. I find myself constantly complaining so much about my job: the pay, the management, other staff members, and of course, sometimes, the kids. I forget my job is to teach and guide them. I am there to teach them to love what life gives us and encourage them to make the right choices. And what better way to teach children than being an example myself?
This job humbles me in so many ways. And, I thank my Heavenly Father for guiding me back into the education field. Despite the daily battles I have (with myself) about my job, I am so grateful to be doing what I am doing. With that being said, I would be lying if I didn't say I'm excited to take a break from my monsters. This girl is flying off to Utah in three days. Yay to Mormon weddings!
Side note: My man said he was in desperate need of greasy Chinese food. To spice things up, I brought along kimchi. My man wasn't embarrassed. At all. Marriage does miracles.
