After English class, I go to the one of the preschool classrooms. Technically, I am there to assist the teacher and assistant. I usually play with the kids and sing some songs in English. Twinkle Twinkle and Head Shoulder Knees and Toes are quite popular. The kids are adorable and occasionally very naughty. One in particular, whose name I learned because the teacher often yells her name, has a lot of charisma. When I sit on the floor, she clamors into my lap and swings at anyone who tries to dethrone her.
If I could speak any Hindi or Marathi, the title of this post would be “kids say the darndest things.” I have no way of really communicating with these 2 to 6 year olds, other than a few key phrases in Hindi that get them to sit, eat, use the bathroom, and be quiet. I am learning their nursery songs. And they have learned “no fighting” and “be nice.”
If I could speak any Hindi or Marathi, the title of this post would be “kids say the darndest things.” I have no way of really communicating with these 2 to 6 year olds, other than a few key phrases in Hindi that get them to sit, eat, use the bathroom, and be quiet. I am learning their nursery songs. And they have learned “no fighting” and “be nice.”
Typically, our games involve one of the following: a) me becoming monster (or velociraptor) and tickling the kids; b) playing clapping games which often devolves into several of them yelling “mala” (my turn) and grabbing my hands; or c) the kids squirming on the stomachs—they look like adorable worms—until I pick them up and put them somewhere else in the room. All with minimal verbal communication.
Kids are funny things and they make me laugh a lot. The next part is one of my favorite stories. I’ll preface this bit by noting that because the roads are so dirty, it is polite to remove your sandals (or chappals) when you are inside.
After lunch yesterday, while the assistant was wiping down the floor, one of the kids started playing with my foot. He seemed pretty interested in it. I let him keep poking and moving it around while I played with some kids on my lap. Suddenly, something felt strange. I looked down to see my left big toe in the kid’s mouth. Down to the toe-knuckle. He looked at me, opened his mouth, and let me take my toe out of his mouth. I still laugh when I think about the look on his face. Kids really do the darnest things.
hmnn......yes yes they do.
ReplyDeleteKerry