So much to learn from 5 year olds....

I love my job. Love it. The main reason? 5 year olds.

I get the joy of working with kindergartners every day. Each morning for me begins with their sweet smiles and hugs.

Maybe you're wondering what the big deal is. They're just kids, right? Allow me to explain some of the beauty of these little ones.

~They know truly how to forgive and forget. If one hits the other, tears are shed, teachers told, apologies made (usually repeated from the teacher), and that's that. They go back to playing with each other like nothing ever happened.

~They live in the moment, with no sense of urgency for the clock. Sure, this can be frustrating as there is a class to get to on time. But when it's recess, and someone falls and ends up with a boo-boo (usually impossible for adults to see, but crystal clear in the eyes of all the kiddies), a whole group of children will help that crying injured one to a nearby teacher. They don't think *Oh no, this is my recess time and I must hurry and enjoy it*. They think about who to help and who to take care of.

~They get over it. I scold a child one minute, put their chart on a frown-face for the day, and make them walk laps at recess. But later that afternoon, if I smile and tell them their hair is pretty, they couldn't be happier. My small compliment was eagerly accepted despite my harsh words earlier. Though being reprimanded hurt, their relationship with and love of me was unchanged.

~Their eyes and minds are incapable of seeing popularity, imperfections, and differences in others. They don't care who's hair is dirty, who shows up in old raggy clothes, or who smells like their mom's cigarette smoke. They merely see a friend, someone to play with, run with, and dance with.

~They have no chips on their shoulders. They are completely willing and wanting to give to those who need, no matter what "rights" they have or hurts they've been through themselves. The greatest thing I've ever heard was from a 5 year old boy who had previously recounted stories to me of his watching his parents' drug use and how they were now in jail. The teacher mentioned that she did not have a Christmas tree; and this precious child, who has already been through more than most of us, said to her with all kindness and sincerity, "You can have my Christmas tree."

The fact is that these children are untainted from our culture. We have not yet infected them with our diseases of judgment, grudges, bitterness, and the clock. Sure, they also haven't learned our cultural norms. They pick their noses with pride, sneeze without covering, and don't sit still.

It would be better for us to never learn those manners and rules if we could hold onto the attributes of childhood. If we could still so easily forgive and forget. If we could live in the moment, stopping to take care of current needs instead of making it to our meetings on time. If we could accept being reprimanded for our wrongs and continue to love those who took the hard step of correcting us. If we could get rid of our prejudice, freeing ourselves from the brainwashing that people who look, smell, and act different our somehow not as good as us. If we could just love and give to others and think less of ourselves.

Children are nearly pure; they are precious.

Every day I go to a place that claims to teach these little ones, but every day they teach me.