My first day:don't kick the dinner ladies.

My only vivid memory of kindergarten (or pre-school as I think it was called where I was - Belfast, Northern Ireland) was of kicking a poor dinner lady in the head when she & her white-coated gang tried to wrestle me back into the buildings...I was waiting for my mum to come & pick me at lunch-time as usual and she was late, and it was snowing...I didn't know I was big enough to stay all day! Boy, did I wail.

So today was a day full of memories, as it was my first day back!

My daughter gave me plenty of advice last night, must important was "smile & try to make friends". My son thinks I must be a bit thick, if I have to go to the same kind of class as he does! Squeels of delight sticking my little name tags on my cup & eating stuff this morning. Off big daddy went to the little school.

Now, I have been in kindy classes before, as a drop in 'superstar' for an hour or so over the years, lead a few activities and not have to deal with much else. We have also run a fully English pre-school at my school - but I thought I'd changed my last nappy. Hmm. For the next six months, I am going to be embedded with the troops three times a week, subverting the little nippers with English as we go through a regular day in the life. So, Secret Big Kid vs 120 or so...trying not to speak Japanese (that's the easy part for me!).

So, how did Day One go?

• Stiff neck & back from teeny furniture
• Headache from loud, loud shouting & dehydration (left my water bottle on my bike)
• Bruised nethers from constant groping, misplaced elbows/shoulders/heads

I was actually surprised how little teaching actually happened. There was a lot of doing things together; one table were dinner monitors & responsible for delivering servings of meat & veg stew, rice, miso soup to each person (much mirth as I was given a king-sized portion)...this took over half an hour, and was in the classroom (not a dinner room). The children waited very patiently until they could start. Once finished though, they could amuse themselves & wander about (mostly to see what I was doing) but were very good about putting their plates & things away. Must finish the rice, I remember being told!

In the yard welcoming kids & parents as they arrived  & left is obvious PR. Being tugged in 35 different directions by kids wanting to play was hard - and the swings etc just a wee bit too small for me to tackle. And my own tackle was constantly in danger with my hands held & someone tugging my shorts down...goalkeeper seemed a good way to engage many in the playground and have an excuse to jump around a bit!

Sense of musical classrooms as half the groups seemed to be rotating into other classrooms to join in activities (& mixing age groups)...

• musical chairs (but teacher plays the music on a piano, back to room - a classroom management difference for me, as I'd use a popular/target song on CD & use a remote to free me up to disentangle before tears arise). 
• Another room = learning an action dance for the school show (I think) with 60+ and a very engaging teacher who clearly can handle children well. Put on the spot to do a song/dance myself = "If you're happy".
• In the playground practicing stretching & running races (memo to self = do not tear a hamstring, you old fart - which I did very badly at the Korean school a few years ago!). Covered in gravel...
• 'free' play time in the classroom after lunch which was undirected but remarkably calm

Before hometime, the whole school welcomed me in the school hall, and the teachers introduced themselves in English. Put on the spot again to intro myself & 'do something' - quick Simon says and then high fives (and low blows) with many. Wave goodbye to everyone, and then breathe!

I needed a nap after all that - no wonder the kids usually do. For me, a lot of nervous energy not knowing what I was supposed to be doing...at least I didn't have to be doing any growing up in the process, manage relationships or defend myself (against bigger kids, anyway!), change my pants in the room or have a big cry. Neither was I required to manage any of the teaching stuff, which as I hinted at earlier = crowd control (one to 30+) rather than any intense teaching.

Why is Daddy going back to kindy?

So after my first day, I didn't kick anyone in the head: tick. A couple of girls latched onto me: tick. Finished my rice: tick. Didn't cry: tick.

But...can barely remember any names, left my lunch stuff on the shoebox. And Day Two is always harder, right?