Marco’s class has 26 students and 18 of them are boys – 10 of them have birthdays within a month of Marco. Yikes. Johnny Bear said that this class has a special dynamic – full of energy! (Teachers have a nice way of saying things.) I was a teeny bit worried about Marco’s rambunctious play. Johnny Bear simply responded, “Boy, boy, boy – not a problem.”
Daily, after circle time with the larger group, they break up into three small groups of 8-10 kids for their project work. Marco has the only male teacher and he’s been at the school for over 30 years! :) I liked those things. Johnny Bear says it doesn’t really matter, except on the playground there’s a certain amount of pride to be in so-and-so’s group.
I told Johnny Bear that Marco’s former daycare was worried that he didn’t want to sit down to work on art or homework. He smiled and said, “It is developmentally inappropriate to expect a 3-year boy to sit still for any long amount of time. Our activities are designed in half hour increments.”
I also asked him about the lisp that Marco has picked up at school. Johnny Bear said it's normal. "It's more about experimenting with words and sound and imitating what he hears and sees. It's not uncommon for kids to pick up a lisp, an accent or even a tick." So much to look forward to.
He peppered the conversation with other notables, “happy kid,” “easy transitions,” “good relationships with adults and kids,” “not a picky eater,” and “good self-serving and self-care.” (I’m pretty sure that means he goes to the bathroom by himself and wipes himself. Yes, seriously.)
He wrapped up with, "We like Marco - we'll keep him!"
It was all music to my ears from a very nice man – and that’s why they call him Johnny Bear.
