Gò0dNews for Teachers
What I Learned in Kindergarten by Leslie Bennett
I
n 1989, I began my journey in the world of
will never forget. You just never know what kids are going
kindergarten. My first seven years were spent as a
to say. It is always an adventure when you are dealing
special education assistant at Trewhitt Elementary. I
with children.
was blessed to work with several children with Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. Many days were challenging, but children are a
Now let’s get back to the things I have learned. Number 2: The kids who are the most challenging are often the ones who need to be loved the most. Children who are in
blessing from God, regardless of their special needs. Often
desperate need of attention often act out. It is a teacher’s job
people would ask me how I did it every day. I always told
to give them the love and attention they need.
them that I treated the children just like I would want my own children to be treated. My next twenty-six years have been spent in kindergarten at Michigan Avenue Elementary, where I attended elementary school myself. I have had the privilege of getting to know the children in thirty-three classrooms, many of which I have kept in touch with over the years. There are a couple of things I have learned about children during my career. Number 1: They are brutally honest. They say exactly what they think. No filter! Like the time I was giving one of my students an AR test on the computer and she told me I smelled like her grandmother. I wasn’t sure
I am always reminded of the quote by Carl W. Burhner:
if her grandmother was in a nursing home, but I later learned
“They may forget what you said—but they will never forget
that her grandmother wore the same perfume I wore.
how you made them feel.”
On another occasion, one of my students asked me what
Teachers have the wonderful opportunity to make
was wrong with my eyes. I went to the restroom, looked
children feel loved and cared for daily. I am blessed to
in the mirror, and realized in my haste to get ready that
spend my days with the gifts God has placed in my life.
morning I had not put mascara on my bottom lashes. I did
I have been rewarded with many children over the past
look a little strange.
thirty-three years and I am better because of them.
And then there was the time a colleague told one of our little guys that he had his shoes on the wrong feet. He
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3).
said, “But these are the only feet I have.” Epic. That’s one I
24 // May 2022
About The Author
looked down at his feet and looked back up at her and Leslie Bennett is a kindergarten assistant at Michigan Avenue School. She is a member of First Baptist Church and sings in the adult choir. She manages a blog at ohyesshedid.org.
