Fourteen children, small and magic up in their heads.

I

The ones that drive you crazy are most rewarding in the end. Ha. When I am holding Rosie on my lap for the third time in an hour, when I hold on to her saying We do not hit children, it is not okay to use your hands for hurting really what I am thinking is Damn this girl is so lovely adorable. Haha. No.

But: every now and then Rosie will look at me direct in my eyeballs and say I Like It! It is sheer delight, she gets ten points every time she does it.

II

On the playground I love to swoop up kids, surprise them flying into the sun when they least expect it. So many giggles. Today was Ellie, back to me and facing her twin sister Mims. My Ellie! and she is swooping up laughing. Mims stamps her foot and says, That’s MY Ellie. Of course she is right and after she gets a turn, it is the two of them settled in my lap, no surprise.

III

Sometimes we cannot help returning to inane preschool teacher talk. Here comes Clara, mock enthusiasm in my voice after ten minutes stationed at the bottom of the slide for safety. Lets sing a SONG!, trying to fill three minutes between scheduled activities. Or, We can put STICKERS on this paper!. Clara is the equivalent of flat voice saying yay. Wiggles her index finger at me with a sticker on the tip, Hello. Hi. Hi. (Haven’t you always wanted a monkey?)

IV

No way am I going to pretend my students are not all adorable. No way are they not all my favorites. Of course, each has magic secrets. Still, the best ones are best. No such things as favorites to a professional, that is the biggest load of bullcrap. They are important, otherwise we would not stick with it ever. It is all about those one or two that will give you a perfect mix of kid; tears laughter defiance. I will take me a Mims Ellie Rosie Clara anyday, I will be bliss.

V

These kids are two years old, birthdates that still look like a credit card expiration date to me. 09/99. 11/99. 07/99. These kids are so so old.