Whenever I bring work home, which is always guaranteed, they like to scatter my kids' papers around. Do you know what it is like grade papers with two very curious cats around? I have handed papers back to the kids with several pounds of cat hair on them. The kids immediately knew that I had cats. Sometimes, when I come into class I will have cat hair on my pants, especially noticeable if I have dark blue or black trousers on. One of my hyperactive little boys will come up and brush the hair of my pants for me. I laugh, thank him and tell them to get back to his seat.

It dawned on me that after a day or two that my cats often had more common sense than most Kindergarten students. You never see a cat pick its nose in front of everyone with reckless abandon as if they were digging for gold. You will never see a cat stick a pencil up its nose or in its ears or put stuff in its mouth. OK, I know that cats can bring home some weird stuff in their mouth but they are doing it to help you. They have pity on you and want you to have something to eat because they see that humans are lousy mousers or birders. Little kids just do stuff because their little minds come up with a wild idea and they cannot resist the temptation to do dumb stuff.

You will never see a cat drop its pants in the middle of the playground to relieve itself. You never see a cat soil itself because they were too busy playing to go the john.

Cats have a lot more dignity and common sense. However, they can be as hyperactive as most Kindergartners and even more curious. Both can be stubborn. Regardless, I love both my students and my cats. My cats provide some stress relief after a hard day trying to keep the students from running amok in the class.

Through it all though, I think teaching Kinder kids is the most fun I can legally have. The gamble of the move was worth the risk. Watching them learn is so satisfying yet it can be frustrating and stressful. Thankfully, at the end of the day, I give the kids back to their poor harried parents and can retreat to a semi-peaceful home for the night. Semi is the operative word. A house with cats is never truly peaceful but never dull. Same with a Kindergarten class.

Copyright © William T. Chandler
November 11, 2000