Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Outnumbered

People, this nerd herd business...me coaching a team of children of any kind--these are bad ideas. (But we knew that, didn't we?)

Don't get me wrong, I'm starting to love them as individuals (most of them). I am very proud of what they're doing (it is so creative and funny). They just drive me freaking crazy!!

The chair scraping and table slapping and random noises and boyish mischief and girlish drama and talking over one another and raising hands in the air and then shaking them around and going "OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OHHHHHHHHHH!" while waiting for me to acknowledge them...it all just drives me completely bonkers. (And this is after we let them run around outside for 15 minutes!)

And that's typical kid behavior, that's not even when people are misbehaving.

Add the frustration of the challenge itself, which is that they must do this on their own and I'm only there to guide them by asking questions, and you can understand why at one point of today's meeting I was literally banging my head on the dining room table.

I have one precious little kindergartner with strawberry blond ringlets and huge blue eyes and dimples, a perfect cupid's bow mouth and a baby lisp, always perfectly dressed and crowned with a hair bow that matches her outfit. Today she had her head in her arms and kept asking, "When we gonna be done, Miss Ashwey? Pwease can we be done now? I so tiyud."

I think we're all tiyud of the script writing process. We have one more script writing meeting until the rough draft of their skit is finished and then it's GOT to get easier and more enjoyable.

Because if it doesn't I'm going to have to move and change my phone numbers and enroll Big Kid in another school. Maybe under a different name.

5 comments:

Jennifer said...

We just started Girl Scouts and I'm the co-leader. I'm thinking I will have lots of these stories. The only advantage I have is that I'm not alone.

Unknown said...

Luckily I am not alone either! But my co-coach is sweet as sugar so the kids totally ignore her and I seem to be the one who ends up doing 99% of the question asking/getting them to "work". She feels the same way I do though, even being sweet like she is.

On the 2nd meeting we both told each other we wouldn't be willing to do it again next year!

asnell said...

I volunteer to be president of the Volunteer Protection Program. I spent my two hours at my sons' school today. Each time I leave there wondering why anyone wants to be an elementary school teacher.

Paige said...

I so tiyud too--but no one cares

Sue Denyhm said...

When you mentioned the arm waving and calling out oh oh oh I immediately pictured a room full of Arnold Horshacks.