There is a 5-year-old at my school who whines every time I come get him. He whines, crosses his arms, sheds (fake) tears, and all-around shoots off the bad attitude vibes. He whines about how he doesn't want to come with me, how he wants to stay in his classroom, how he wants to do absolutely anything besides whatever it is I have planned for him. (The entertaining part is that his speech is pretty bad... so most of the communication that I understand during these fits is done through extensive body language and the occasionally-intelligible "wanna play"...) The frustrating part is that he never even gives my activity a chance before he complains, and my activities are typically not that boring. :) He refuses even to acknowledge the possibility that my plan is better for him AND more fun than whatever he was doing in the classroom. (And maybe my plan isn't always more fun, but it is usually better for him, and that alone would ideally be motivation to participate willingly...) He assumes that his idea is/would have been sooooo much better, and he is so whiny about it that he misses the opportunity to fully enjoy the fun and helpful activity provided. He sits and complains for half of our time before we begin. Then, when we do the activity, he ends up enjoying it. It is unfortunate that he spends so long whining about what he does not want to do instead of trusting his teacher in the first place. How much more pleasant would those 10 minutes have been for both of them!
These entries are not to meant to be me venting or complaining about whiny students...the opposite is true. I have become increasingly thankful for these behaviors in my students, because they have taught me so much about how I must appear to my Teacher God daily. He always has a plan for me, a plan that is so much better than anything I could think up, and yet my tendency is to drag my feet, complain, and waste time, instead of trusting him and thanking him for the countless wonderful things he gives me every day. Despite the negative things I put on here, my students really are great. :) God has been teaching me so much through them, and the lessons God gives me make it that much easier to be patient with the kiddos. It is so easy to relate sometimes!
Psalm 9:10-- And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
