The subtitle of the majority of this post should be "A Few Reasons I Am Not A Teacher."
So this year I volunteered at Vacation Bible School. Honestly, the only reason I signed up is that Lucas was too young to participate in the regular VBS and I knew he would be really bummed. But if I volunteered for at least 3 days he could participate in the Preschool version. Plus they offered the baby nursery for those not quite old enough for the preschool class. I don't think it could have worked out any more perfectly. The weird part is that we did not attend VBS at our church. We missed out on that one - it was the same week we were on vacation. But I had heard great things about the program the Methodist church down the street offered so we signed up for that. And I have to admit - it was fantastic! It was very well organized and the way it was all presented was perfect and the directors were wonderful and my kids had an absolute blast.
So why, you must be asking by now, would this make me want to avoid teaching?
Because I don't think... no, I'm certain... I could not handle the majority of these children or children like them on a daily basis. I know that must sound so terrible and I will say for the most part, it is not the fault of the kids. So here is a list of what I learned:
1. There are parents out there who use VBS as a dumping ground or free babysitting service when they don't know what else to do with their children. If your child does not wish to attend VBS please do not send them. It ruins the experience for all the other children in the group because it is very apparent they do not wish to be there.
2. Peer pressure to "look cool" starts at a very young age. Much younger than I had realized. Within my small group were three 6-year-old boys - 2 cousins and their friend. Two of them did not really care to participate in the majority of our activities and they set out to get attention by being rowdy. Extremely frustrating, from a "teacher" standpoint, because there was only so much I could do and they didn't really care who I was. But also frustrating, and very sad, because that third little boy wanted to participate so bad but it was obvious he was too worried about what the other two were doing and what they might think.
3. Kids will tell you some weird things. Most of it can be funny and amusing, but sometimes... not so much. Like the child who was a huge Harry Potter fan. I told him I didn't know anything about Harry Potter (never read the books, never seen the movies, don't really care to). He made it his personal mission to get me call caught up. And I mean in great detail. Every spare minute he found. Over the course of several days. God love him, because he was so excited about it and I certainly didn't want to be mean, but he would pick up right where he left off each time and I had no idea what he was talking about, nor did I really care to be a Harry Potter expert. That, coupled with the fact that I had other children to tend to, left me trying to find a nice way to cut him off. I'm not sure I was very successful.
4. Adolescent girls will make you deaf. I have a 7-year-old daughter. I know they scream a lot for no good reason and I know it gets loud. But holy cow - put 40 of them in a small room and have them compete for which group can cheer the loudest... Whew!!! God truly was at work last week because it is nothing short of a miracle that I can still hear.
5. Even if you have the most well-behaved group, the crazies in the group next to you will get them all riled up. Just when I would think "My group is fantastic! Look how well behaved they are! They are actually paying attention!" that group next to us would start yelling during prayer and wrestling on the floor during Bible Story time. And my little angels just could not resist the temptation. Back to square one.
But despite all the insanity, my kids and I had a great week. I got to meet some wonderful people, both young and old. I got to see kids come out of their shells and be there to witness them "getting it." Ella and Lucas had so much fun and absorbed so much, plus made some new friends of their own.
So is this enough to make me change my view? Maybe... but just for one week each year. :)
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