I received a marriage proposal today. That's right, a young man informed me that he was desperately in love with me and asked me to marry him. My answer? I'll think about it. But I feel that I might agree to it.
Oh, yes, I forgot to mention.. my young suitor is four.
My job at the Child Care Center of Evanston is a lot of things, but it is never boring. From being bowled over when I walk in the door at 11 with shouts of, "Jackie's here!!" to talking active boys into taking naps, to assuring little girls that yes, I am their friend, my 10 hours a week are literally filled with laughter and tears (though the tears aren't on my part. Not yet, at least.)
Today, when I walked in the door, I immediately had to settle a confetti fight between Ferran and Sophere (Ferran later was the one who asked me to marry him). Then, I had to convince a hysterical Payden (3- definitely on the younger 3 side) that ladybugs were not going to hurt him, not even a little bit (he reminded me a little of my cousin..). He later got so excited with the idea of conquering the harmless bugs that he stomped around the classroom announced, "I eated a ladybug!" (Which was not true, as he could not come anywhere near them without going into hysterical screaming) During lunch, I told Adam that throwing rice is not allowed. When I was passing seconds, Amber (3) informed me numerous times that, "We don't want to hear any 'me, me, me,' right Jackie?" Needless to say, Amber loves telling other people what to do. In preperation for naptime, I sang "May there always be sunshine" countless times, in three languages and actually succeeded in teaching the words "solnze," "nebo," "mama," and "ya" to Alice, Faith, and Luc, my three most attentive listeners. During naptime, I got tired of putting Axel (a usually well-behaved boy) back in his cot- he kept crawling under the table and poking Adam, to see if he was sleeping (which he usually was). And in my last hour of work, I gave voice to the animal crackers we had for snack, tied 20 pairs of shoes, monitored the brushing of 20 sets of teeth, and taught everyone the "Universe Yoga Stretch" (apparently, a very simple stretch in which one bends the knees slowly and then springs out into a jack position. Payden fell in love with this immediately and showed everyone the "oomibers" stretch countless times.). Upon leaving, I was tackled by all of my lovely children, wanting to know where on earth I could possibly be going and pleading for me to come back right after.
So after this wonderfully refreshing day at work, I left to go back to the real world where problems couldn't be solved by a hug from a teacher, where tears were so much harder to dry, and where friendships were so much more complicated than just the question, "Jackie, you're my friend, ok?"
But that's ok. I like it here.
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6 comments:
Absolutely wonderful, Jackie! I love hearing about this job that keeps you connected to real life and the impact you are making off-campus as well as on-campus. Wonderful news reporting, too! (Did you have to ask them to sign a release paper to use their names and ages, too? ;-)I am sure your young friends would have agreed!)Very entertaining
So, do I need to meet Ferran?
What a great report! And you certainly know how to get one's attention with a sharp first sentence. I was a little sick to my stomache when I read the "headline." You see, I wouldn't be the least surprised if someone who could legally drink had asked you to marry him.
Have a great weekend. Oh yeah, your students have some very unusal names. I think Payden, who I thought was a girl, is going to have real trouble in the future. I had a friend whose sister's name was Morgan and when she joined the Navy they put her in the men's dorms. Now that I think of it, unless you use your full name (It is Jacqueline, isn't it?) you might end up in the same situation.
Your vivid writing about your new life certainly evokes memories among us older folks! I'm glad that you're having such wonderful discovery adventures. (I don't suppose you were among the throng in Grant Park the Tuesday before last?)
Of which cousin are you reminded by the boy who "eated" a ladybug? A certain soon-to-be four-year-old is very competitive on the walk from our front door to the car: a gleeful "I beated you!" has been the frequent culmination recently.
Pat: On my online school, I kept my name as Jacqueline specifically so as to avoid mix-ups as to my gender, and people STILL asked me if I was a boy or a girl.
Uncle Geoff: Thank you so much! Your compliments mean a lot to me. I did not go to Grant Park because I had a large assignment due the next day, but I did spent the hours between 7 and 12 midnight glued to the television in the media lounge with most of my dorm.
The cousin I was thinking of was actually in the Burns side of the family who was, at one point, terrified of butterflies. I can't wait to see your whole family and spend more time with Brian in December!
haha, I love the beginning of this post!
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