Wise beyond my years

One of my kindergarten students was in a fight with a classmate. She was being sullen and refused to participate in class activities and would lash out at the offending boy in Korean occasionally. The time came for the class to go upstairs to the playroom for gym class and Ally (the offended) shut herself inside the classroom after everyone left. This sort of thing has happened with her before. I went back in and tried talking to her, trying to coax her upstairs. "But I'm very sad and angry. Luke and David are always touching me and the girls." I told her Luke makes me angry too but that we can't be sad and angry all day. We should try to be happy. And she said, "But Teacher, I'm a kid."

Yes, absolutely. One reason why I know I shouldn't make teaching children a lifelong career is that I keep wanting them to make rational adult decisions and take responsibility for themselves and I sometimes get really frustrated when they don't. Rationally, I know I can't expect that of them but I haven't been able to totally shake it yet. My immediate response to moody kids is to ignore them partially cuz I don't want to deal with them and partially because I think giving them attention is just perpetuating the behaviour.

But I mean, it's not always that they're acting out. Like with Ally, she was just pissed off at a jerky boy, for good reason. She showed me that I'm both right and wrong. They're more mature sometimes than I give them credit for, but they're just kids. They can be wise beyond MY years.