Poems for Providers (continued)
SPIRITED CHILDREN
Spirited children are like the roses in my garden.
They need more atention.
Throw a little water on other flowers and they grow.
Not the rose, it needs special treatment.
It has to be pruned and guided in its growth.
Other flowers can be plucked, pulled, and mauled by a preschooler and still last for weeks on your dining room table.
If you treat a rose roughly it will wilt in your hands or stab you and make you bleed.
But there is not another flower like the rose in my garden.
It's rich perfume titillates my senses.
It's satin soft petals tickle my fingers.
It's blooms are so vibrant they stir my soul.
Spirited kids are like roses - they need special care.
And sometimes you have to get past the thorns to truly enjoy their beauty.
Tell Me What You Did Today
When children come home at the end of the day,
The question they're asked as they scurry to play
is, "Tell me what you did today?"
And the answer they give makes you sigh with dismay.
"Nothing, I did nothing today!"
Perhaps nothing means that I played with blocks,
Or counted to ten, or sorted some rocks.
Maybe I painted a picture of red and blue
Or heard a story of a mouse that flew.
Maybe I watched the gerbils eat today,
Or went outside on the swings to play.
Maybe today was the very first time
That my scissors followed a very straight line.
Maybe I lead a song from beginning to end,
Or played with a special brand new friend.
When you're in day care
And your heart has wings,
"Nothing" can mean so many things!!
There's Nothing in My Bag Today
Today I did my math and science, I toasted bread.
I halved and quartered, I counted, measured,
used my eyes and ears and head.
I added and subtracted on the way,
I used a magnet, blocks and memory tray.
I learned about a rainbow and how to weigh.
So please don't say, "anything in your bag today"?
You see I'm sharing as I play.
I learned to listen and speak clearly when I talk,
to wait my turn, and when inside, to walk.
To put my thoughts into a phrase,
to guide a crayon through a maze.
To find my name and write it down,
to do it with a smile and not a frown.
To put my pasting brush away.
So please don't say, "What, nothing in your bag, today"?
I've learned about a snail and a worm,
remembering how to take my turn.
Helped a friend when he was stuck,
learned that water runs off a duck.
I looked at words from left to right,
agreed to differ, not to fight.
So please don't say, "Did you only play today"?
Tell-tale Symptoms That You've Been Cooped up with
Kids for Too Long
1. You ask your husband what he wants on his "sammie", your child's name for a sandwich. You then ask if he wants squares or triangles. Or worse, automatically cut them into four child size portions and remove the crust.
2. You begin to treat inanimate objects as human--talking to shoes that won't tie, conversing with teddy bears about soap operas.
3. You serve dinner to guests on Banana in Pajama plates and hand them spoons to eat with.
4. If your husband pauses while eating, you automatically say, "eat your dinner".
5. When you spouse mispronounces a word or uses incorrect grammar, you correct him.
6. When the phone rings, you stare at it gratefully; hoping any adult voice is on the line.
7. You automatically say, "cover your mouth" when you hear someone cough or sneeze - even at Walmart.
8. You find yourself singing along with songs from "Sesame Street".
9. You revert back to calling your parents Mommy and Daddy.
10. When at a party for adults, you come back from the bathroom and everyone is either staring at you or avoiding your eyes. Then you realize you had announced to the whole room where you were going and what you were going to do.
By Phyllis Edge-Williams
Top Ten Reasons to Become a Preschool Teacher
1. Cute little children......cute little paycheck.
2. Confidence that you will nenver, ever forget to count to 10.
3. Attention span.......Do they have one?
4. Shoes that untie themselves.
5. Get to sing your favorite songs; over and over, and over.
6. With all this bending, who needs aerobics?
7. Play, play, play.
8. Classroom art displayed in kitchen "galleries".
9. Small hands......LARGE crayons.
10. You alone make little ones count.
Little Eyes Upon You
There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.
There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little child who's dreaming
of the day he'll be like you.
You're the little fellow's idol
you're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you
no suspicions ever arise.
He believes in you devoutly,
holds all you say and so.
He will say and do , in your way
when he's grown up just like you.
There's a wide-eyed little fellow
who believes you're always right;
and his eyes are always opened, and he
watches day and night.
You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little child who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.
MY LITTLE ONES
My little ones, my little ones,
Oh, how you all have grown.
I look back thru the pages now
For the little ones I have known.
It seems like only yesterday,
When you were learning to stand,
and looked at me with love and trust
as you reached for Mommy's hand.
Oh, why must time rush by me
at such a frantic pace?
Give me just a moment more
To remember that small face.
My little ones, my little ones,
the days were precious few,
when I could hold you in my arms
and wish the stars for you.
