Kindergarten through the eyes of a child

This week I was busy with a very important matter - we were getting into kindergarten . This situation made such an impression on me that I can’t think of anything else, so I will share the experience of our acquaintance with the kindergarten and the emotions overwhelming me.

The article will be short and unusual - not reflections, but just a story. Recently it was hinted to me that I was being too clever and sharing too little personal experience. I am correcting myself, taking advantage of the opportunity. I think you will be interested in our story with the kindergarten and how I saw the kindergarten through the eyes of my child.

Our story of getting to know the kindergarten

I admit that kindergarten is not something I am very familiar with. You can say that I “fell from the moon” :) Kindergarten is not part of my world, as something taken for granted. I myself only went there for about a month, and, according to my parents, I cried so much when they took me there that they couldn’t bear it and abandoned the idea. I remember the kindergarten itself vaguely, but since then I can’t stand boiled milk and semolina porridge - to the point of nausea.

They no longer took their brothers and sisters to kindergarten—my mother still stayed at home. We had enough communication, since there were a lot of us, and other children also came to visit. I didn’t even think about sending my eldest son to kindergarten, since I also stayed at home. But he grew up from 3 to 6 years old in a village where there were more opportunities for harmonious development. The situation with the youngest is different now - he sits at home and communicates only with me and his brother, who is 10 years older than him. Sometimes we go to visit or go on vacation to our relatives.

In general, when we suddenly had a queue at the kindergarten, I thought it was very opportune. Perhaps the child is bored at home, he needs communication with peers, some new experience... But I am depriving the child of all this! He's sitting at home, poor thing. Maybe he needs kindergarten? And I decided to place him there, contrary to the traditions of the whole family (of all my many nephews, only one goes to kindergarten - and then to a private one).

It all started during a doctor's visit. My child is, to put it mildly, difficult. Well, he doesn’t like it when someone touches him and looks into his mouth, and he doesn’t like to undress in an unfamiliar environment... All the doctors, seeing the hysterical child, violently resisting even entering the office, said one thing: “Why are you going to kindergarten? will you walk?

I don’t know how we’ll go to kindergarten... The neurologist diagnosed “excitable nervous system,” shook her head, prescribed pills, but gave the go-ahead for kindergarten. As a result of the fact that I woke my son up in the morning and raped him in hospitals, he began to have hysterics at home. The pills didn't help...

Entering the kindergarten with documents, I caught the eye of a teacher getting the children ready for a walk: the seal of the good old Soviet school on her forehead, a nervous and raised tone, commanding notes, primitive manipulations... I didn’t like her at first sight and I hoped that we would get another.

My oldest had a similar teacher at a music school. It immediately became clear to me that they would not find a common language. But the son resigned himself, he only carried out passive sabotage - he “hung out” all the time... Until the teacher was changed, after which the boy immediately turned out to be smart and talented!

When similar intonations appear in our own grandmother, we have a conversation with her on the topic: “Don’t traumatize my child!” We see grandma very rarely, here it will be every day. Of course, I understand that when there are 30 children, you need to “build” them somehow. But I would like them to be loved too... I want a lot, it seems - this is just her job. My child will be someone’s work, and not even a loved one.

I naively believed that my son would be interested in kindergarten and would like it - kids, toys... He goes to the children's room of the Ikea store with joy - he undresses himself and runs to play, forgetting about his mother. We even go there specially sometimes. Well, I’m tired of making ends meet - I’ve made plans for how I’ll work without a child...

But he didn’t like the kindergarten right away. My son flatly refused to even go to the lockers, let alone look into the room! No matter how much I described how wonderful the toys were and how interesting the children were, it didn’t help. He stomped around in the hallway, persuading his mother to put her fur coat back on and go outside, and was about to cry.

Ok, let's go outside, especially since we agreed with the teacher that we would come and meet each other for a walk. “Look what an interesting platform - cars, and a boat!..” - “No, let’s go to another one!” We wandered around the site until our group came out. Yes, the teacher we got was the one I didn’t like. According to the law of meanness, apparently

I approached her, and my son, seeing the children, went to leave the territory. When one boy approached him, he shouted: “No!” rushed towards me and grabbed my legs. To be honest, I didn’t expect such a reaction. It seems like he walks around the playgrounds normally. He doesn’t really communicate with other children, but he doesn’t shy away either.

I saw fear in my son’s eyes, confusion in his serious face... As if he felt something terrible! The child clearly does not want to go to kindergarten. What am I doing?! Am I an enemy to my child?!

One day in kindergarten, or What the Kid could tell...

September 26, 2020

Competition “Pedagogical Inspiration - 2011”
By coincidence, I had to work as a teacher in the second junior group for a whole month.

These are the smallest children in the entire kindergarten. They are only two years old. They still don’t know how to do much, and everything around them is new and unusual.

I tried to imagine how the Kid could talk about his first day in kindergarten: about his impressions and experiences.

One day in kindergarten

or What could the Kid tell...

At home, my mother and I once again agreed that there would be no tears today, and that I was already big and it was a shame to cry.

We got dressed and went to kindergarten. Let's go have fun. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping somewhere. Mom and I are talking. But then, the building of our kindergarten appeared - and for some reason I suddenly felt sad. Suddenly I really, really wanted to go home, and the smile disappeared from my face. Mom tried to cheer me up, but I wanted to cry. Tears came from somewhere and shone in my eyes, but I didn’t cry.

Here are the things neatly folded and put away in the locker. Mom’s kiss goodbye, and we need to go into the group... There are already guys there who arrived a little early.

Entering the group for the first time was very scary. But it’s scary not because someone will offend you (we’re not timid guys ourselves!), but simply because everything around us is unfamiliar. You have to do everything yourself. But mommy is gone, and daddy is gone too!

But there are always adults next to us. It's hard to remember all of their names right away. They are the aunts who feed us, help us wash, put us to bed and, of course, play with us, read books to us, sing songs with us.

Auntie, in a white robe, apron and scarf, always goes somewhere with pots, and then brings us all sorts of food. She wipes the tables and places different dishes on them. Then we are invited to eat. Just first you need to go and wash your hands, so that they are clean. It’s easy to wash at home - mom helps, but here we are “independent”, well, that means we wash ourselves.

But the water in the tap is naughty! Instead of pouring onto your hands, for some reason it pours onto the floor, and onto your clothes, and even splashes all over the walls and the mirror. After such a wash, many of us have to change clothes. We each dry ourselves with our own towel. Above them are pictures. Well, exactly the same as in the reception area on the cabinets, so as not to get confused.

So: after washing, we have breakfast. And then - washing again! And here you can’t do without help. After all, we also eat ourselves, and for some reason the porridge always falls out of the spoon and ends up in the most inappropriate places: on the nose, on the hands, and in the pockets. And also - after it there are always funny “whiskers”, and we become like little dirty kittens. It’s good that aprons - bibs save us a little.

After breakfast the most interesting thing happens: we play, make buildings out of blocks and construction sets, listen to music and sing a little ourselves. We still know very few songs, but our favorite is about the Kitty. There are also Kittens meowing very loudly at the end!

Sometimes a completely different aunt comes to us. She plays us a real piano. This is the music director. She teaches us to sing and dance beautifully. Well, so that it works at the same time, like the adults on TV. We all still walk outside together, just not for long. It's fun like that! Then we return to the group.

Then our aunt in a white scarf leaves and brings us lunch: 1st, 2nd and 3rd course. And also salad and bread. We eat, say “Thank you!”, take chairs and go to the carpet to undress. (Well, of course, don’t forget to wash your hands and do all the other necessary things in the toilet).

It’s not at all difficult to undress, but things just don’t hang nicely on the chair - they always fall on the floor. The adults help us: they unbutton our buttons and turn our socks inside out. And when we go to bed, they cover us, and even pat us on the back if someone asks, and they allow us to take a soft toy with us to the crib.

After a nap, we get dressed, comb our hair, and the girls get their braids done. True, getting dressed is more difficult than undressing. Both legs always end up in the same pant leg, and the blouse can also be put on backwards or inside out. And the sandals get mixed up and don’t work together.

Then we have afternoon tea and again various games and entertainment. We also listen on tape to how beautiful the birds sing.

They also give us something tasty for dinner. We try to eat very quickly because mom and dad are coming soon, and maybe even grandparents. Then we play again and suddenly... someone knocks softly on the door. The teacher opens it, and there stands my beloved mother!

- It’s so good that you came! - I tell her. Hugs and kisses.

I'm having a lot of fun!

I take my mother by the hand and lead her to introduce her to my friends, because I managed to make friends with many today. Then, we loudly say goodbye to everyone and go home.

PS And tomorrow I will definitely come to my favorite kindergarten, because my friends are there! How can I not come, because all the teachers will get bored without me!..

Appendix: Presentation of Photo Sketches.

Author: Zhur Svetlana Mikhailovna, teacher of the first qualification category, MDOU DS OV "Aist", Novy Urengoy district, village. Korotchaevo. Teaching experience: 25 years in the same preschool educational institution. Awarded a Certificate of Honor from the Head of Novy Urengoy; Certificate of Merit from the Education Department; Certificate of honor from the Department of Education of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The man lived for himself - he didn’t grieve, he did what he wanted and when he wanted. They took him into account and consulted him, hugged him back, kissed his bruises and did not forbid anything. And then some strange woman, in the tone of a sleep-deprived ensign, will command from morning to evening: “Let's go out in pairs! We took boots and mittens from the radiator. To help anyone, come one at a time!” And this is not so bad, there will still be: “Masha is the only one doing well - she got dressed, but the rest didn’t.” “Don’t go here, don’t touch this, now we’ll do this, and then we’ll do that. And not a minute earlier or later. And no one asks you whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not. Eat, otherwise you won’t leave the table. If you threw a toy into the corner, you are punished.”

And most importantly, there will be no mother! And it’s completely unclear why, why my mother gave me to this strict aunt! Not only did dad leave, but also mom... Am I bad and useless to anyone? And then there are children, different children, with whom I definitely have to be “friends” - and they tease, push, take away toys...

And all day long there is noise, shouts, bustle and commands. I’m not used to it, I’m tired and I want to go home - to my mother and brother! There is my cat, my toys, cartoons - but here there is nothing of mine, everything is someone else’s...

This is roughly how I saw the kindergarten through the eyes of my child. How affectionate he became when he came home - as if he understood everything. But I didn’t even tell him that he would be left in kindergarten without me!

We don't need kindergarten

In general, you already guessed that the next day we didn’t even try to continue our acquaintance with the kindergarten. I called and refused the place. As a result of this story, my son and I have become even closer - and it’s great for both of us! I decided for myself the issue with the kindergarten and gained a new appreciation for the joys of freedom and family.

Accordingly, now I need to think over a plan for the full development and upbringing of a child before school without kindergarten. Well, you’ll have to think through your life. Why give birth to children in order to maim them? I think any baby would prefer mom to extra candy, even if this candy is available every day. We will continue to be poor and try to earn money at home. If the end comes, I’ll go to work as a cleaner, but I won’t send my child to kindergarten in prison!

Of course, this is just our personal situation. Yes, I'm probably too impressionable. How are things going with your kindergarten, mom and dad? I think this is a sore point for many: should I send my child to kindergarten? Share your stories? You can read my thoughts on what a kindergarten is and whether a child needs one. How can we do without thinking? Subscribe to news here.