A day in the life of a preschool teacher...

6:40 am - Get woke up by a text asking if I can come in asap to cover for sick coworker.

6:55 am.- Clock-in at work (impressive, I know).

7:30 am - Eat a blueberry muffin with the kids eating breakfast and listen to conversation on why or why not muffins and peaches are good.

8:00 am - Wonder how long it's just going to be me with 14 three year olds?!

8:15 am - Let the kids lose out on the playground.

8:30 am - Help arrives!

8:35 am - Take screaming and thrashing child from leaving parent.

9:00 am - Corral the kids inside for Library Reader.

9:05 am - Sing songs with kids instead, since Library Reader went to the other class first.

9:25 am - Serve morning snack of yogurt to kids asking, "What kind of ice cream is that we're having??"

9:30 am - Library Reader arrives and reads during snacktime.

9:55 am - Split kids up into groups to play in centers.

9:57 am - Console those kids who ended up in a center they didn't want to be in.

10:10 am - Teach kids in Drama Center who are pounding at the tool bench how to use the screw driver to screw things in instead of always using the hammer (score!).

10:12 am - Watch boy hold blocks as a microphone and walk around the room belting "Baa, baa black sheep," "Old McDonald had a Farm," and "Twinkle, twinkle, little star."

10:30 am - Release kids out onto the playground again.

10:32 am - Instruct child not to hit friend.

10:38 am - Instruct child to share toys with friend.

10:40 am - Instruct child not to take toy out of friend's hand.

10:50 am - Comfort child who fell down.

11:15 am - Call kids in to wash hands for lunch.

11:20 am - Serve pizza, pineapple, veggies, and cottage cheese to kids.

11:22 am - Instruct kids to only take one piece of pizza.

11:26 am - Assure kids that it's okay if someone takes all that's in the bowl, I can fill it up.

11:30 am - Clean up a cup of spilled milk.

11:32 am - Scarf down my own pizza.

11:40 am - Clean up another cup of spilled milk.

11:50 am - Spread out cots around room.

11:55 am - Excuse kids who are finished to go potty, get their blankets, and head to their cots.

12:00 pm - Fix blankets, put on sheets, zip sleeping bags, and say "goodnight" and "I love you" to kids.

12:02 pm - Tell kids who are talking they need to go to sleep.

12:10 pm - Fill out observation chart for each child.

12:20 pm - Fill out daily sheet for each child.

12:35 pm - Am impressed that 16 out of 18 kids are sleeping!

12:40-1:40 pm - Sit and keep myself from falling asleep, search the internet on my phone for ideas for next weeks' lessons, continue to be impressed that all 16 kids are still sleeping.

1:44 pm - Laugh as child sits up wide awake and exclaims, "Where did the other teacher go!?!"

1:48 pm - Allow those that are awake to get up and put their blankets away, and read a book or do a puzzle quietly.

1:55 pm - Assist the kids in waking up and getting their shoes back on.

1:57 pm - Listen to a conversation by kids who are looking at a book about bees - Child 1: "Bees make honey." Child 2: "How?" Child 1: "They poop it." Child 2: "OoOoh."

2:00 pm - Wake up the final few kids who are still sleeping.

2:05pm - Get the kids seated for an afternoon snack of cookies and milk.

2:12 pm - Back out to the playground we go!

2:28 pm - Go down the slide with child on lap and child behind me.

2:20 pm - Order chicken nuggets, fries, and chocolate milkshake from "McDonalds."

2:21 pm - Am asked if I want a toy with my meal. Me: "Sure, what kind of toy?" Boy: "Batman." Me: "Do you have any girl toys?" Boy: *thinks for a moment* "Yeah, we have a button you can push in." Me: "Oh. Thanks!"

2:30 pm - Instruct kids to take turns on the bikes.

2:32 pm - Comfort child who hurt his finger and take him in to get a bandaid.

2:40 pm - Listen to child "call the cops" on friends for coming into his McDonalds - Boy: "I'm going to call the cops on you!" Children: Run away, taunting that the cops can't get them. Boy: Picks up pretend phone, "Hi cops. You need to come get some people."

2:45 pm - Listen to a complaint from child that another child bit him.

2:46 pm - Address afore mentioned child who bit - Me: "Did you bite him?" Child: "No." Me: "You didn't bite him? Did you do anything to him?" Child: "No I didn't do anything." Me: "You didn't bite him? Did you touch him?" Child: "It was *other child!*" Me: "*Other child* was not even by you two. Did you bite him?" Child: "Well, he pushed me." Me: "Then what did you do? Did you bite him?" Child: "Yes."..........

2:48 pm - Sit with above child for a couple minutes.

2:50 pm - Comfort another child who fell and hurt his knee, and take him in to get a bandaid.

2:51 pm - Laugh as hurt child runs out the door to show his friends his cool "tatoo" bandaid.

2:55 pm - Push child who needs help on bike.

3:04 pm - Next worker arrives and I get to go home!

3:12 pm - Collapse on couch at home and share day with my husband. :)


Ready for round two (well, actually round five this week) tomorrow!