>so, we are one week into school (plus a few days), and the adventures continue to build. one day last week, one of the Hispanic parents looked at me as I was speaking in Spanish to the class, and she said, “Are you Mexican?”. Needless to say, I had to restrain myself from jumping up and kissing the poor woman on the mouth! How exciting is that? To be mistaken for Mexican by a Mexican? Muy, let me tell you. The number of chronic criers and sufferers from separation anxiety has diminished greatly, although there are a few who still have a big bawl at least as they are arriving. There was a little boy who, during the first week, cried almost nonstop for the first thirty to forty minutes then again at nap time. Well last Friday, he just marched in like he was six feet tall and bullet proof and said, “I don’t whine and cry anymore. I am coming to school.” Okay then. Earlier in the week, he had called for me from the bathroom to ask me to wipe his bottom after he used the bathroom. My teaching assistant intervened and walked in and handed him the paper. Muchas gracias. Well a few days later, he went to the bathroom, walked out, having washed his hands and said, “Ya, Maestra, no necesito que limpies mi cola.” Translated, literally, that means, “Now, Teacher, I don’t need you to clean my tail.” Isn’t that precious? ¿Qué más les digo? It is absolutely incredible the things that these three- and four-year-olds do not know how to do. Hardly any of them can tell me where their head or chin or chest is. About one-third of the class has no idea how to use scissors. Unbelievable, yes? That is why we are there. To catch them up with where they should be developmentally at their ages. Because their parents either work too much to be able to help them at home, or they have no concept of what to do with them. Or they just ignore them. Or a smattering of all three. It has been a fabulous parenting class for me — about what and what NOT to do should I ever have children of my own. And it makes me want to learn more and more and more about parent education. We shall see.