Sunday, June 25, 2017

Endings

When I first started at the Japanese-language preschool about two years ago, it took me a while to get used to being around such small children. I hadn't taken any Early Childhood Education classes and the only exposure I had to toddlers were the sons and daughters of my cousins, all of whom are now in or beyond elementary school, and I'd only see at our family functions. I wasn't sure if I should talk to and act with preschoolers the same way I did with my elementary school and junior high students in Japan, especially since I had to help them with things like using the toilet and blowing their noses. I eventually grew to love working with the smaller ones, which made me keep an eye out for other jobs working with younger children and start taking ECE classes. I now have 6 of the 12 ECE units required to become a preschool teacher in California and am currently working towards 9.

A few months ago, the school's director told me that she'd be closing the school due to her poor health. It definitely takes a lot of physical strength and energy to work with preschoolers, and she didn't want to supply inadequate care to the new 3 year olds who'd be entering the school in September. Most of the children at the school were due to graduate this year and enter kindergarten in the fall anyway, so while it's sad, it was just time for everyone to move on. The other day was the graduation ceremony for the five remaining students, and they performed the songs and sign language we've been practicing over the past few months in front of their families. They also shared their graduation photo albums, which included photos of them from birth to now and small snippets about themselves that they came up with and wrote down. After the ceremony, they surprised us teachers by performing a song they'd been practicing on their own with their parents, and a father even accompanied their singing on the guitar. It was a bittersweet day that I won't forget, and I'm so thankful for this job that introduced me to the joy of working with preschoolers.

To be continued.