By Travis Vermulm
The St. Anthony of Padua Kindergarten class celebrates Valentine’s Day with games, pizza, and dancing.
SEBASTIAN
Not every experience with kindergarten students is a positive experience. Despite their wonderful enthusiasm and often infectious happiness, there are still days which stand out as more negative or, at least, difficult.
Sebastian is another troublemaker, but still a great student. He excels in Math and is a kind-hearted student to many of his fellow classmates. He often has issues sitting properly in his chair and keeping himself off of his neighbor’s desk, but truly he is a good student.
I returned from Christmas Break rejuvenated and prepared to see the shining faces of the students again. They all seemed to be in good spirits after their long break, just as I was, but Sebastian was struggling more than usual. He kept asking to use the bathroom despite having used it five minutes prior or even sometimes two minutes prior. Often students will use the restroom as an excuse to leave the classroom, so I had to tell him no.
He began to cry a lot throughout the day and as my concerns grew, I brought the issue to the teacher. I was informed that he had done the same for the past two days and was finding any excuse he could to return back home to his parents. There was nothing actually physically wrong with him he just wanted to be home.
Sebastian chose to bring his stories to me because he had already tried the same tactics on several other staff members, and it had become clear to them he was trying to make an escape from school.
Knowing I was not the only person telling him he could not use the bathroom again, or he would have to wait until the end of the day to see his parents, certainly did not make the task any easier. The dramatically crying face of a six-year-old staring up at you is not something easily ignored, even if it is some sort of ruse.
I understood, in some small part, how hard it must have been for Sebastian. He was returning from a break. He spent the good part of two weeks at home with his parents and family and now had to return to a schedule where he did not see them at all from 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. The adjustment cannot be easy.
Even as adults we often suffer the emotional burdens that come with a visit home. To see your loved ones in a limited capacity, remember all the great times had with them, and inevitable leave again, is no easy task. Unfortunately, Sebastian had to learn there is only two ways to conquer this kind of separation anxiety. A person either carries on with their life and eventually returns to a somewhat normal state of emotion, filing the vacation time as a memory along with the other memories; or a person can give up and return home, never to leave again.
Certainly, Sebastian wanted to give up on Kindergarten, but the option is not available. I have no doubt in some short weeks when I return to the classroom he will return back to his goofy self and will have to again be reminded to remove himself from his neighbor’s desk. His day of crying and insisting he needed to go home will serve as a reminder to me, when I begin to miss the past and doubt the future that God has planned may take some getting used to, but will certainly be worth the effort.
NOTE: The names of the children were changed in this story.