I'll be honest, I've been counting down the days for the last month (maybe two) until school gets out. Mainly 'cause summer vacation means I don't have to be playground lady. :) Yay for me. Honestly I haven't loved the job, mainly because I feel more like a playground cop. Although there are some parts of the job that are sort of interesting to me. Being the sociology major that I am it's been fun to observe the playground from a Sociologist point of view since elementary school really is its own little society. Since being at the school I've been reminded everyday of my childhood. I've sometimes wondered who I would have been friends with if I were young again, going to that school. It's been intersting to watch the kid's playground habits, how one week they're all about four square, another week it'd be kickball, etc. They always changed. But I wondered what made them change and who instigated it.
I tried to figure out who the "popular" groups were. And what made them popular. I was witness to the birth of a "mean girl." You know that movie Mean Girls? This little kindergartener would have been perfect for that part. I watched how she and her sidekick hung on the monkey bars and the mean girl commanded her to, "DROP!" The sidekick looked at her for a second and just dropped from the monkey bars. It was crazy. I was shocked at the power she had over her friends. A whole group of little kindergarteners followed this mean girl around like a little puppy. I pulled them aside once when the mean girl was off in a huff and tried to help them understand that they didn't have to put up with someone who was being mean to them. They agreed that she was mean and could be a brat sometimes, but they still wanted to be her friend. I tried to figure out what made her so popular. I never could figure it out. Maybe next year.
I wondered why one week a group of fifth grade girls would break up into two groups and be at odds with each other and then be back to playing with each other the next week. Just an FYI, out of all the grades, fifth grade girls bring the most drama to the playground. It made me happy if I was able to catch someone kicking a ball with the intent to abandon, 'cause then I knew just who I'd have run and get it. For some reason that was quite satisfying for me. Probably 'cause I knew I wouldn't have to run and get it. It was interesting how I could memorize who someone was just by the jacket or sweatshirt they'd wear everyday. I took pride in catching someone who was trying to be inconspicuous and have them be amazed at how I knew what they were up to. I enjoyed seeing Ethan out there on the playground and giving him a high five when he came out of the lunch room. I liked knowing when he went to the nurse, then I could go in and make sure he was ok. I liked knowing who the bad kids were and who the good kids were. I enjoyed knowing the teachers and the staff. I felt involved with the school in that reguard. There's something to be said for having a presence at your kid's school.
What I won't miss are the attitudes. That's a whole other post, but I will say this, I've realized that when kids give me attitude, I give attitude right back along with some added sarcasm. Honestly, I can be a bit of a brat and its never one of my most shining moments. Its interesting the things you can learn about yourself out on the playground. Kids these days know a lot more than I knew. It scares me. Does it frighten anyone else that a 1st and 3rd grader were calling out to 1st grade girls, "Hey Sexy! Wanna have sex with me?" I didn't even know what sex was in 1st grade. I probably still thought that children just started appearing out of the blue once you got married at that point. There were other things that I heard that made me want to homeschool Ethan. I wouldn't dare repeat them here. It was interesting when I caught two sixth graders kissing. Oh how they begged me not to tell the principal. I did. I had to. It was also frightening to know that a 5th grade girl had written a detailed account of how she was going to kill a fellow student. The Vice Principal went to the store that day and bought the parents of the girl a gun case with a lock.
Its been fun to get to know the kids. I love seeing their reactions when they see me somewhere outside of school. Some yell out, "Hi supervisor!" Some question me, "Are you the supervisor?" Some avoid eye contact. When Chad and I took Ethan to the school carnival, a group of fifth grade boys started whispering, "Look, there's the supervisor with her boyfriend." Needless to say its been quite an experience. Its been eye opening. And I'm ready for a break from elementary school dramas.
