Why Are The Preschoolers Behaving All The Sudden?

I am currently working with a church to help train the preschool workers. For the most part I am at the mercy of the church as far as what training looks like. When I was asked to give on the job training, I smiled, said okay, and thought a little about what to do should I get there and find myself as the teacher.

When the time came all 10 preschool teachers came back to the preschool room for "on the job training". In addition to the teachers there were probably 8 preschoolers in the room. As the kids played for awhile, I talked to teachers, then called the kids back together for the Bible lesson. We talked about Jesus going to church. To be honest, this always makes me nervous. I am suppose to be the person who knows what she's doing, but I really don't know if the kids will be in the mood to behave or not. God was gracious and let me off the hook that night. The kids paid attention and answered all my questions.

Then the kids went back to play and I did a little Q & A time with the teachers. Everyone had great questions and I think we covered a lot of ground!

The time was productive, and I plan on going back for a few weeks to see how the teachers are doing. One question I got asked over and over was, "why are all these kids behaving? What did you do?" Really, I didn't do anything! If I was 3 and had 11 adults in the room staring at me, I'd behave too! Also, a stranger in the room is exciting! I am looking forward to seeing what happens when we have fewer teachers and I become a familiar face!

We talked about 3 ground rules for the classroom.

1. Respect God and His House
2. Respect the Teachers and Other Adults in the Room
3. Respect Each Other

My reason for choosing these 3 rules (which I borrowed from another church) is they are easy to remember. The teachers may have to explain the big word "respect," but when the kids understand the word it will cover a lot! The rules are also positive (not a long list of don't). As the children learn what respect is, they will be able to carry those rules throughout life.

I will try to keep you updated on the church. I am really enjoying working with the volunteers. They have a lot of excellent questions and are eager to learn.