kids say the darndest things.

As a nanny, I was often in a position where in a split second, the child I was with could set me off in a fit of giggles. This in turn usually made them giggle too and together, we would have a gigglefest.

In kindergarten, when I witness something that would normally trigger such a giggle, I usually (but not always) have to suppress it whether it's because the student is doing something he/she shouldn't be, because it would distract the group from the topic at hand, or because the student might think I am laughing at him/her.

Nonetheless, I still collect these funny moments because they help me see my experience beyond the ABCs and 123s. These are the very first students I have ever worked with in an actual teaching capacity and for that reason, I will remember them always. Some of these moments may fall under the "you had to be there" category but in any case, I'm just documenting them for myself. These little kiddos are clever, witty, endearing, and oh-so-adorable and this is how I want to remember them. (For some of these, you just have to remember that they are five-years-old to see the humor)

After school one day, in the hallway,
Ms. F: "M, why are you still here?"
boy M: (rolls eyes) "Because, Ms. F., I'm waiting for my ride to come. I'm going to a rooftop party at the Y tonight with all my friends, didn't you know?"

During a reading workshop,
Ms. A: "This part of the book is about hot versus cold things. Let's go around and say what our favorite hot food or hot drink is."
girl O: "Spaghetti."
girl S: "Rice."
boy M: "HOT CHOCOLATE FROM THE POLAR EXPRESS, OH MY GOSH, IT'S SOOOOO GOOD. You have to try it."

Dance teacher, during a dance class where the parents were invited to come in and watch,
A: "Ok, parents, so we've been learning all about a special musician. T, can you tell the parents who I am talking about?"
girl T: "Stevie Wonder!"
A: "Yes! Ok, and what are some of the things that we have learned about Stevie Wonder in this class? D?"
boy D: "Um...he used to be a baby."

During reading workshop, after she and I modeled "partner work",
Ms. F: "Ok, so now it's your turn. You'll pick out a page in your book that you really like or have a question about and talk to each other about it. You can ask questions, you can notice something, you can say "I agree" or "I disagree"....ok? Go ahead and start reading."
(boy S raises hand)
Ms. F: "Yes, S?"
boy S: "I disagree."

After attempting a quick summary of what Veteran's Day meant,
Ms. A: "Does anyone here have someone in their family that maybe fought in a war at one point? Someone who was a soldier or is a soldier?"
boy D: "My dad is strong."
Ms. F: "Was...your dad a soldier?"
boy D: "My dad is as strong as a soldier."

Me: "N, can you write an 'eight' on the board?"
(he writes an 'H')
Me: "Oh, my mistake, I must not have been clear. Can you write the number eight?"
boy N: (stares at the 'H' and shakes his head) "Oh my goodness. What was I thinking?!"


As line partners get ready to head out for recess,
boy S: "Ms. Griffin, can I hold M's hand today?"
Me: "No, your line partner is always E. Why do you want to hold M's hand?"
boy S: "He has a cute voice."

During free play, from across the room,
boy M: "MS. GRIFFIN, Z IS KISSING ME! IT'S VERY NICE BUT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO KISS IN SCHOOL!"

On a field trip, watching ducks in Turtle Pond,
boy M: "Oh my gosh, I just saw a duck poop! Yes, it definitely pooped. It pooped and then I saw sparkles, like, coming out of its butt in the water."