Sunday, December 20, 2020
by Dan Lynch

Those who have switched jobs can understand the nervousness that comes with this life choice. Different surroundings, different responsibilities, and different co-workers can seem a little overwhelming at first. When I left the high school classroom to become an elementary principal, I felt that uncertainty, but thought, “Hey, they are just kids like any others, just younger.” I felt confident that I could continue down the same path as before with some minor adjustments. That, of course, all changed when I experienced something that no class, no person, and no book could have prepared me for… KINDERGARTEN!

I have grandchildren that were that age and handled it great; one to one. Put twenty in a room together, and “Katie-bar-the-door” pandemonium! Kindergarten is its own animal! It has its own pulse, its own brain, and tentacles rather than hands! The teachers in those classrooms have to be fearless, but also have to be willing to hug and be hugged hundreds of times a day. It’s chaos in its most pure and beautiful form. Twenty faces that may be crying one minute and laughing the next, scared to leave their parents in the morning and then wanting to stay at school forever, every day is a new adventure.

I look at those faces daily and see God’s work in them. Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” As a principal, I have to be a little bit of a control enthusiast; however, I have realized kindergarten can only be partially controlled, but never fully contained. It is God’s will for them to move, be loud, play, and of course, learn – and I’m okay with that. God provides me with the peace I need each day to face a school full of kindergarteners!

 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” ~ John 14:27