LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED IN PRESCHOOL: Thoughts from a Preschool Teacher

The next time somebody tells me that a preschool teacher is not a real teacher, here's what I will tell them:

I learned a lot in preschool. Everything I learned, I have used since that day. I am 28 going on 29. I still consider preschool to be the most important type of schooling and preschool teachers have the most important job of teaching these first lessons.

1. LISTENING - Preschoolers are taught to listen to directions and not talk while others are talking. Interrupting is not a good idea. If you don't listen, you may miss something funny, exciting, and cool! Listening can save your life. 

2. MANNERS - Young toddlers learn to talk. Chatterbox preschoolers learn to call their elders "M'am" and "Sir." They learn to respect people of all ages. They learn how to sit properly at a table and to keep their hands to themselves. They learn the difference between right and wrong and lies and truth.

3. HYGIENE - Preschoolers wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom. They love to take bubble baths. Washing themselves becomes fun and not a mundane chore especially when Barbie or Gi-Joe takes a bath/swim in the big tub.

4. SAFETY - Look before you cross. Don't talk to strangers. No running on slippery floors/concrete. Always wear sunscreen outside on a hot day. Call 911 in an emergency!

5. HEALTH - The water fountain is the elixir of life after a hard romp outside. School lunch is a healthy meal with a healthy snack. Carrots are fun to chomp and celery is fun to crunch. Exercising is fun especially in the summer!

6. IMAGINATION - More and more schools are substituting tests in place of our kids using their own creativity and thinking for themselves. There are no standardized tests for preschoolers, thank God. These children draw, paint, sculpt, sing, and dance, all while learning to express themselves. They learn the wonder of the alphabet, the magic of numbers, and the delight of colors at their own pace. They are not confined to coloring inside the lines. They learn through doing, not glued to an iWhatever to teach them. They read each other stories and make up stories on the playground (good kind not bad kind) Songs they learn now, they will remember for a long time. As a preschool music teacher, many of the songs I teach, I learned at their age! They are allowed to be themselves without worrying about being somebody else. 

7. FRIENDS - You make your first friends in preschool. Slumber parties, birthday parties, after-school play dates, class parties, swim parties, etc. The list goes on and on. You learn about each other and how to treat others as they would like to be treated. You learn not to judge others by what they look like. You also learn to ignore and not give attention to friends that might be on the unpleasant side. 

8. CHOICES - You learn that life is what you make it and that your actions have consequences. You always have a choice as to your action and the following response.

9. LOVE - You learn to love. You love Mommy and Daddy or other guardians most of all and family is very important. You love your teachers, giving them a hug or a high-five because they are awesome. You learn there is a time for everything in preschool.

That's my two cents and certainly not all that they learn day to day. Feel free to post some more!

Be blessed

In Dublin's fair city...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I have always loved Irish culture - the food, music, poetry and literature, the language, etc. It's in my blood. My great great great great great grandfather Nathaniel Bailey Sr was from Belfast. And there's the Kelly's as well from Monaghan, Ireland. Some of you may be thinking, yeah sure, it's in most caucasian Americans' blood, but I'm thinking, how many of us celebrate it year round and not just on March 17?

When I was at Southern Miss, I joined the Irish Dance Society, a group that met weekly in the catholic church across the street from Pride Field. Here, I learned my first steps in soft-shoe (ghillies). What an invigorating experience that was and what a workout!  I am currently scouting several of the dancing schools in Atlanta for I would like to keep that going. Wish somebody would offer a class at the Y.

My pets for the most part have Irish names. My boys wear shamrock collars and have shamrock tags.
Taigh is the phonetic spelling of Irish boy's name, Tadgh. I chose the phonetic. Who would want to keep correcting a vet every year?

There's Molly Malone with her wheelbarrow crying cockels and mussels alive, alive-o! And there's Danny Boy.  Chardonnay doesn't quite fit the Irish scheme, but she's like the cabbage in colcannon, holds us all together.

And another reason to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is that St. Patrick, himself was Welsh! I lived and studied for two years in Wales (study abroad in university and my masters in music). My Thomas heritage dates back, thus far, to Kilwelly, Glamorganshire and Carmarthenshire. Coel, King of the Britons is like my 35th great grandfather, directly descended through the male line of Thomases. The Plantagenets were rulers of Wales in the early days and my blood is also directly Plantagenet.

Carmarthenshire, Wales, United Kingdom

Glamorganshire, Wales, United Kingdom

It's funny ya know. I mailed a letter to the Queen, introducing myself and sending my greetings.  The Queen and I (England) are 17th cousins directly. Our mutual 15th great grandfather is Sir John Conyers. I got a response back from her secretary with the Queen sending her best wishes. I know there must be hundreds of cousins by now, but still we share the same blood. We have that royal blood, but we can't all fit in the castles. Nothing is different about mine and the Queen's heritage. The only true difference between us is she lives in a castle with a title. I live in a cottage, am considered a commoner by societal standards, and I have access to my ancestry on ancestry.com rather than living history such as portraits, memoirs, etc. I wish she had responded herself. We are family after all.

So what does a Welsh and Irish royal do on St. Patrick's day when it's cold and rainy outside? Go to a parade? Nope. Don a warm pair of socks, fix a big pot of piping hot colcannon and relax with a good book.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

Paths

We are following a path. Each path is different. Some are running towards a new horizon. Others are at a crossroads, some are winding back to where they originated.

I am a single female looking for a single man. There's just one problem. I am surrounded by gay men. I've fallen for a lot of guys and then they turn out to be gay.  As friends, gay men are fantastic. They are intellectual, articulate, well-dressed, self-sufficient, educated and usually handsome. They are knowledgeable about topics that interest me and are funny, witty, everything I want in a partner except they desire another man.

I'm seeking a husband and am surrounded by quality men who also happen to be seeking husbands. What's wrong with this picture? Do straight men not exist anymore? The straight guys I know that have been vocal about their interest in me are usually deadbeats, still living with their folks, no career prospects, and they play videogames all day.   What is happening to this culture???

I agree that the gay lifestyle is not chosen for most. Who would want to choose a lifestyle of ridicule and pain? But I also can't help but wonder about the straight men who date girls, but never marry and then they suddenly jump out of the closet. They make a choice because they're lonely and as a gay man, companionship is a lot easier to come by then trying to hook up with a temperamental female. That's just my opinion and what I've experienced in trying to find a man for the past 14 years.

I've been praying that God will send a godly man, but I've received gay men only thus far. I must be praying wrong since I wish to have a partner with whom to share my life and a family of my own.

A Long Journey

Lots of things have happened in the past few days, some good and some not so good.

Bad news first:

- Taigh puss found himself at the vet hospital for a full urinary blockage. For male cats, this is quite dangerous since their urethra is the width of a coffee stirrer, whereas female cats are like a milkshake straw--quite a difference! The procedure was quite expensive and the vet used their lifesaver fund to cover half whilst I paid the other half. He's home now, on antibiotics and painkillers, and his diet is changed to wet food only from now on.  Both his and Nay's.

Good news:

- I finished the written portion of my project, which included the research paper, formal evaluation, personal evaluation, bibliography, annotated bibliography, implementation report, appendices, plus all the fixings totaled 64 pages. Mailed it and the digital recordings to my professor Friday morning. Keeping fingers crossed for a positive score. That project was hard work!

And now, the REALLY GOOD NEWS!

Danny is now heartworm free!! He tested negative at the vet yesterday afternoon.  I opted for slow-kill treatment instead of the three injections (fast-kill method).  Slow-kill method involves 60 pills/month (twice a day) and then 2 months off in alternation. He's been on slow-kill for a little over a year.

We're getting a ton of rain today.  Some of the windows are either leaking or dripping condensation, no clue which. Must be get ready for church. No Evensong today since the men are singing. Peace!

A Window of Opportunity

Began my morning by writing some of an academic paper and taking Molly and Danny to Candler Lake. If you have not visited this scenic trail between Brookhaven and Chamblee, you are missing out. The dogs are getting better about their walking, but I still find myself having to drag them to keep going. Molly loses focus way too quickly and Danny is trying to share his illustrious scent with all of nature.

I decided to give up Facebook for Lent. I check Facebook at minimum ten times a day, bordering on obsession and it's like I'm living my whole life online.  I don't have cable TV and have, by choice, gone without cable for the last ten years (because music was so much more intriguing), but I do have an internet addiction, which can be worse. Anywho, I don't know what possessed me to check it today, but a choir friend of mine from St. Philip's posted on my wall a notice about the Gwinnett Braves open audition to sing the national anthem, spots from 10-2, so yes, I jumped at the chance and made an unplanned trip to Lawrenceville. Coolray Field was hosting auditions underneath the stadium. I went in there and sang it like I always do: jubilant, full, and high. Should know about the possible gig within a week. It was a good experience and a good, exhilarating break from paper writing. 

I recently saw a film called Forks Over Knives, a documentary on the testimonials of plant-based foods. I understand that plants are a healthier source of protein than meat, but I do like the taste of meat. I'm not going to trash the meat in my freezer, no, but will gradually make vegetables, fruits, and grains the primary portion of my diet. I don't see myself going completely vegan (I like seafood, scrambled eggs, and buttermilk biscuits with honey) but I do advocate more fruit, veg, nuts, grains, and workouts with the pups. 

Let's put this spare tire back in the trunk!

A Solitary Potato

I love potatoes. Nothing beats a basket of french fries covered in ketchup and mayo, or a jacket potato topped with butter, sour cream, and my personal favorite, jalapenos. Potatoes are used in stews and soups and sometimes, they are the dish like Irish dishes such as champ and colcannon. The English are famous for their chips and wedges. And of course there's over a hundred types of potato chips. And then you have two varieties, normal potato and sweet potato.

Potatoes are a starch and are able to protect against colon cancer, but they are also a large source of carbohydrates. My problem with potatoes is I can eat them all day, every day, 24/7. With my budget, one is all I need at a time, just a solitary potato

I am 28, single, female, and I am obese.  Medically obese. Just by looking at me, overweight would be the term to use.

I have tried so many different diets and exercise regimes, all resulting in a dead end because I would either get bored with the program or changes were not happening.

A lifestyle change has to happen, not just a diet or workout for now. I want to be excited about this new change, let it give me energy.   I have a YMCA membership which I mainly use for lap swims and weight training. I plan to try Zumba, AquaZumba, and other classes that would spark my energy and fitness level!

I want to lose the gut, bingo wings, and double chin.  I am tired of seeing and feeling my spare tire bounce up and down when working with my music and movement students. I am tired of feeling tired. Time to change!