For those of you who do not know, the Wynn Center was the site of my sophomore year work-study position. It was my first time in a pre-school/day care setting and I learned a lot. Looking back, I wish that I knew then what I know now about working with children. I think I could have done so much more good.
The Wynn Center is a non-profit preschool/day care center that enrolls children from low-income families. Almost all of the children there receive some sort of voucher and many qualify for HeadStart. Working at Wynn Center opened my eyes and helped me really see what it means to live in poverty or to work at an urban school. Many of the children in my classroom dealt with more in their four or five years than I have in my entire life. It was emotionally draining, but by far the most rewarding thing I have ever done. The children there, like all of the children I have ever taught, helped me learn about myself--my strengths and abilities, and my weaknesses. Though almost two years ago, and before any of my cohort or formal teaching experiences, I regard working with the children at Wynn Center one of the most influential parts of my education. I will write about the children and experience from time to time and I hope this background will give you reference for future posts.
Now on to the fun...Here are their words!
Life According to the Children at Wynn Center:
Miss Michelle: “We all live in the United States”
Carlos: “No I don’t! I live at HOME!”
Orlando: (telling Isiah to spray more water from the hose) “Turn up the volume!”
Antwaine: "Miss Michelle, David called me a cry baby! I am not a cry baby!"
(1 second passes)
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Miss Michelle (reading) “I see with my…”
Carlos: “eyes!”
Miss Michelle : “ I hear with my…”
Carlos: “ears!”
Miss Michelle “I touch with my…”
Carlos: “Rabbit!”
Miss Jasmine: “Tell the doctor what happened.”
Carlos and Tayerra: “What happened.”
(Playing tag) Orlando: “I’m in the basement! I’m in the basement!”
Translation… “I’m on base!”
Tayerra (pointing to a watermelon): “Look! A pickle!”
On Pets:
Ziala: “I have a spider in my house. It’s my puppy!”
Kyndall (jealous that Maylani has a new puppy): “Miss Michelle, I have a puppy”
Miss Michelle: “You do?”
Kyndall: “Yes, it’s pink and has fur. It’s a kitty.”
Miss Michelle: “So did you get a puppy or a kitty?”
Kyndall: “Both. It’s a puppy kitty”
Miss Michelle: “You have a pink puppy kitty?”
Kyndall: “Yes”
On relationships:
Ms. Bernie: “Where do boyfriends and girlfriends go on dates?”
Orlando: “To the store.”
Kid #1: “Miss Michelle, are you married?”
Kid #2: “No! Teacher’s can’t get married!”
On growing up:
Isiah: “Miss Michelle, you are old! How old are you? Eight?”
Kyndall: “He’s BIG! He’s like a mommy now!”
Antwaine: “Actually…He’s like a daddy!”
Carlos: “I am NOT a girl-ly! I’m a Boy-ly!”
On diversity:
Ziala: “Miss Michelle, you look like a white girl!”
Miss Michelle: “Ziala, I am a white girl”
Ziala: “oh, okay!”
Mikyale: “Miss Michelle, how did you get white?”
Math Lessons:
David: “I’m smarter than you! I know what 2+2 is… It’s 18!”
Isiah: “No it’s not! It’s 16!”
On Politics…November 5, 2008:
Teachers: “Who is the president of the United States?”
Preschoolers: “Barack Obama!”
Teachers: “Who can name some of the other presidents?”
Student: “God and Jesus”
On pop culture:
Kiyone: “Miss Michelle, Deonte won’t let me call him Deonte!”
Deonte: “That’s not my name!”
Miss Michelle: “It was Deonte yesterday…What is it today?”
Deonte: “My last name is H. My middle name is H. My first name is H.”
Miss Michelle: “Your name is HHH?”
Deonte: “Yes! My name is Triple H”
Toddleah: “Miss Michelle, can you do the ‘Stanky Leg’?”
Carlos (commenting on Ethan’s “Hat day” hat): “Ethan looks like Chis Brown!”
Orlando: “Look its jumping! It’s doing the ‘soulja boy’!”
Tayerra (singing and dancing for the camera...she is 2 ½ years old…): “Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur, the whole friends was lookin’…she hit the floor (hit the floor) and then goes low, low, low...Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur…”
On Religion:
(Playing “party” in the Kitchen area) Isiah: “It’s time to eat…God is good, God is great. Let’s rock n’ roll in the name a Jesus Christ. Amen”
The ultimate “That’s what she said”:
(while playing some game that involved rhythmically hitting their hands on the table…)
David: “ DO IT!…DO IT!…DO IT!…DO IT!...DO IT!...DO IT!”
Nahyal: “NO DO ME! DO ME!”
David: “HARDER!...HARDER!...HARDER!...HARDER!...HARDER!”
Nahyal: “STOP! YOU ARE DOING IT TOO HARD!”
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