If you’re wondering why your preschooler cannot sleep at night and you’ve already eliminated sugar high, new toys, scary movies, illnesses, or overstimulation, it may be because there are little things bothering him in school. Yes, just like adults, they think about their troubles at night too.

The school is a social environment and oftentimes, kids get anxious or confused as to why teachers and classmates act in certain ways.

The only problem is they don’t tell us right away. It could be because they cannot talk very well yet or we’re probably not asking the right questions to bring it out.

So now, I am sharing to you our night chats with Mia because this is when I get to hear about the little issues that are actually BIG issues for kids.

On some nights, she just wants to be heard before she goes to sleep but sometimes she also needs an explanation to put her mind at peace.

NOTE:  The names of all the kids (except ours) have been changed. These are Mia’s thoughts when she was 2.5 to 4 years old and I didn’t bring any of this up with the teachers because I think they’re all just part of adjusting to the school setting. I have nothing against her old classmates and I am merely narrating to show how kids think, what bothers them, why they possibly whine for no reason, why they possibly don’t like school, why they sometimes have an after school attitude, and how they learn from interacting with kids of different ages and personalities.

Happy reading. ? 

On FALLING in LINE.

MIA:
James hit me.
Kara and Emmy pushed me.
And the teachers were angry.
Zak pushed me too.

JING:
Is this why you said you don’t like school anymore?

MIA:
Yes. Because the teachers are angry and my classmates are pushing me.
And nobody says sorry.

JING:
You know sometimes, I get pushed too whenever I fall in line to get on the train.
And I feel bad that nobody says sorry too. So I understand how you feel.
Are you sure you don’t like school anymore?

MIA:
I like my classroom. I like the materials. And I like the toys!
But I don’t like my classmates and my teacher when they’re angry.
Because my classmates push me.

(For the record, I don’t think the teachers were REALLY angry or that Mia got hurt. The word hit probably just means “bumped” which is quite normal when kids are in line.)

On UNDERSTANDING TEACHER-STUDENT ROLES.

MIA:
Zak was mad because I wasn’t listening. I wasn’t coloring properly.

JING:
Hmm, he shouldn’t be mad. You’re still learning how to color.

MIA:
Teacher also said to color properly. It’s not side-side, it’s up-down, up-down.
I won’t listen to my teacher.

JING:
Why not?

MIA:
Because I already listen to Mommy.

JING:
Your teacher is there to teach you things that you don’t know very well yet.
So I think you should give it a try. Try the up & down strokes sometimes.

MIA:
But why is Zak mad?

JING:
Yeah, he shouldn’t be.

On FIGHTING over a TOY.

MIA:
James hit me strongly and he didn’t say sorry and I cried.
And then teacher got angry and said, “Get your own toy.” to him.

(Kids.)

On NEW CHALLENGES.

MIA:
Teacher wants me to draw a picture. A real picture.

JING:
Okay.. What’s the problem?

MIA:
What can I draw, Mom?

JING:
I think she wants you to draw objects or people and not just scribbles.
Let’s see. Maybe we should start with your favorite things.
What are your favorites?

MIA:
Oh… I know, on Monday, I’ll draw a rainbow.
Then on Tuesday, I’ll draw… a … a butterfly!
On Wednesday, I’ll draw … a …. an ice cream!

(She fell asleep as soon as she got it all planned out until Friday.)

On MAKING FRIENDS.

MIA:
I’m sad that my other classmates are not my friends. Only Fay and Peachy.

JING:
Then maybe you should try to be friends with the other classmates too.

On LEARNING HOW ATTENDANCE CHECKING GOES.

MIA:
Do you know that it’s okay to say “Here” and not always “Present”?

JING:
Yeah. Here and Present are both okay.

MIA:
But Fay gets mad every time I say Here. But it just means the same.
I tell her it’s okay to say Here but she doesn’t listen. She still gets mad.
Teacher said we just let her be.
There’s also no need to clap after you say Present.
There’s nothing to clap about.
We just clap when there’s a performance or when we’re too happy.
Not when we say Here or Present.

(It’s fun to clap though. LOL)

On BEING JEALOUS WHEN ONE CLASSMATE DOESN’T OBEY THE RULES.

MIA:
Libby always brings toys. We’re not allowed to bring toys in school.
There are enough toys in school already.

JING:
You feel it’s unfair?

MIA:
Unfair means?

JING:
Unfair is when you obey the rules but others don’t.

MIA:
Yes. You always stop me from bringing my magic wand!

JING:
Maybe you should ask teacher’s help to remind Libby to leave her toys at home.
So that it will be fair to all the kids.

On UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES.

MIA:
You know that teacher always tells me not to force other people to make a necklace (beading toy) for me?
Because sometimes they don’t like to make for me.

JING:
Do you do that? Force other kids?

MIA:
Yes. But now I understand. Everyone has a different opinion.
Me too. Sometimes I like and sometimes I don’t like.
Teacher said we just always be happy. We just be happy.

On DEALING WITH YOUNGER KIDS.

MIA:
Do you know Berna always bumps me?

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