Toleration

Kindergartners are much more tolerant of others. I learned that today... and I continue to learn it every day in our little classroom.

The other day I was teaching penmanship, and one of my students fell out of his chair. That's right, just fell right over. This is not an odd occurence. It happens just about every day. My reaction is usually simply, "Well, climb back in your chair."
At that moment, I stopped to think, "What if an adult sitting in my classroom had just done that?" For one thing, the other people in the room would have noticed. It would have been a concern. And if it turned out that the person had simply fallen out of her chair simply because she was wiggling so much that she had lost her balance, the adults around her may have considered getting her some help--- psychiatric help. Not so in kindergarten-- you just keep on working as if nothing happened at all.

Or how about when Ryan put his coat on upside down today and complained because he couldn't get his backpack on. The coat was hanging totally up on end with his hood hanging down by his knees, and what was Ryan was saying? "Miss Parrish, I can't get my backpack on." I looked at him and said, "That's probably because your coat is on upside down."
This got no response, other than the fact that Ryan was spinning around in circles trying to catch his other backpack strap. Finally, I stopped him and told him, "Ryan, you need to take your coat off and put it on right side up." He did so... only because he knew he had to because his teacher made him do it- not because it bothered him that his coat was on upside down. The other children either did not notice or else it didn't bother them.

That's tolerance.

But some things cannot be tolerated. Not even by kindergartners.

Today during small group instruction, I was interrupted by a student. Usually, I encourage the students to work independently- and only interrupt me if they are dying or going to wet their pants or someone is badly hurt. The girl assured me this fit under the category of "important." It did.

"Tupu is putting crayons up his nose."
"What?!? Tupu! Come over here!"

"Are you putting crayons up your nose?"
"Yes." Simple response. There was no shame. Not even a little bit.
"Don't put crayons up your nose!" I said this as firmly as I could... under the ridiculous circumstances, it was hard not to laugh.

That afternoon, the students in my p.m. class asked me why Tupu had gotten his card pulled. I told them why, and one little boy responded by saying, "You got to be kidding me!"
Like I said, some things even kindergartners can't tolerate.