Prepared To Inspire

Prepared to Inspire

At the end of the school year when we have exhausted all of our energy and strength, there is nothing more exciting than preparing our classrooms for the excitement that lies ahead. After having a few summer months off to recuperate from giving everything inside us to our children, it is a joy to take the scissors to cut out the many different patterns, words, letters, and pictures of all the knowledge we plan to teach the following year.

The excitement of going into an education store like Knowledge Tree where teachers come alive. Everything imaginable lines the many aisles of the educational store. Where do I find the scissors for the small hands that will try to learn how to maneuver it’s use? I see many different colors and sizes and even shapes that definitely differ from the ones used when I was a little girl. I first go through each aisle reminding myself of the ideas I have already used and in search of something different, something magical, something that will appeal to every child that walks into the classroom.

I stop at the aisle where there are enormous animals of each type in the forest, trees, and even those lurking on dry land. What story could I use to entice the young ones to read? How can I use the tiger to give more of a desire to read? But the lion looking kingly would definitely remind them of the many movies and stories about the Lion King. There is so much to see and so much to do. Where will I start?

There it is!!! The many colors of the rainbows. This could envelop the higher portions of my classroom and swoop down to shape the names of each precious one assigned to me. The kids will love seeing their names under the rainbow with the many splashes of color. What else can I possibly add to the array of colors? This kindergarten class is not going to know what hit it. Numbers, I must have numbers. There they are from 1 to 20 and even 1 to 50. Oh my, kindergarteners these days will probably need the 1 to 50, so I am going with that. Oh, the purple ones. I love the purple numbers. This is fascinating. All the things that make you adore teaching. There is even a history section. There is so much the children must learn. Quotes, yes quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to Dr. Maya Angelou. Who knew? There is even a section for music. The kids would love to see the different instruments and I am sure I will fine several who will use their desks to prove it.

But I must check my prices. The school only allows a certain amount before it’s time for me to reach into my wallet to use my own funds. Oh well, my husband is by now accustomed to the extra dollars spent on the children. Because of course, that’s what it’s for; the children. I do have to get a handle on things because it would be impossible for me to choose everything on a 100-dollar budget. Well, I am three aisles past that. No sense in stopping now. The room has to be bright and colorful, and most definitely full of knowledge. There is nothing more precious than seeing the eyes of the children come alive when they are learning.

Just one more stop and then I am done. Well, maybe. Here we are, the letters of the alphabet. They have them everywhere, but I need both lower case and upper case. There are so many options. What should I choose? Let’s see, we have the rainbow and a little burst of my favorite color, purple. So, maybe they shouldn’t be all different colors, let’s just go with one color. I can’t choose. I can’t choose. There are just so many things to choose from. Well, here you go. The alphabet made just like the rainbow. I think my job here is done.

Now, to find out how much of my lunch I have sacrificed today. Well, I could stand to lose a few pounds anyway. Are you a kindergarten teacher a voice from behind me asks? Yes, I am. “Well, you have certainly outdone yourself”, he says. “I know but it is for the children”, I say as the cashier rings up each item. After your teacher discount and allowance, your balance is $245, she says. The voice from behind me speaks before I can say anything. “Please put that on my tab”. “What”, I say not believing what I was hearing. “It is my pleasure to help you do what you do for our children each day, God bless you”. I could hardly speak. I was willing to spend whatever necessary to get what I felt I needed for the children who came in with opened minds and excitement to learn. But this person made me enjoy my profession even more. The person behind me was a retired principal and simply came into the store to help some of the many teachers he knew would be spending every last penny on the children. “Thank you”, I say fighting back the tears. Someone who understood what it meant to go above and beyond for the children. My day was made and now on to creativity where we will use these different colored scissors to help shape my classroom.