MAN-AT-ARMS || K. SJ

Chapter 1

The sun rising was a sight to behold. The way it would cast a yellow light over the tall buildings, letting people know a new day was here. A steaming cup of coffee warmed my hands as I admired the fiery star in the sky, the cold morning air, brushing my hair away from my face. I have always been an early riser ready to take on the day and make the most of it, but today was special because it was the first day of school.

As a kindergarten teacher, I knew today would be hectic. I chuckled, thinking about how the day will be a roller coaster of emotions. This would be many children's first time being away from their parents, there would be a lot of crying from both the children and their parents. On the other hand, we would have the children who came from daycare they were fearless, independent, and very clever, always willing to reassure their crying peers.

It was my job to try and keep everyone calm and organized, the keyword here 'try'. Some parents would linger afraid to leave their children, I'd be forced to push them out of the class. Lots of reassuring will be done throughout the day to the crying children that their parents would be coming back. That's alright though I grew up with two wild older brothers, I know how to handle chaos like a pro at this point.

Quickly downing my now warm coffee, I went back inside my apartment to get ready. I chose skinny-fit black pants, a white blouse with a cute light blue blazer on top, and a pair of black flats. It was a little dressier than usual, but the occasion called for it. I needed to make a good first impression on the parents that hadn't already met me. Grabbing my bag and another coffee in a thermos I left the apartment.

My excitement was at an all-time high, ready to meet my new class for the year. From the first day, you could start to see the children's personalities, some were a little rowdier than others, some had very good manners, others were so shy and reserved, some were bossy, and some had A LOT of personality, and then my personal favorites the ones you would label as "bad".

These kids were the ones you ended up spending the most time with, they have a harder time interacting with the other children, they have a hard time focusing on lessons, and in turn, you end up learning a lot about them, what makes them tick, what makes them refocus, they often times ended up being the sweetest children, always trying to show that they were "good," But let's be honest they're kids. They aren't truly good or bad, they are just learning how to act. Watching the troubled children learn to play in groups, share, and grow was amazing. I loved all of my students, but those children always held a special place in my heart.

My class consists of about 16 students. It's smaller than other places, but that's because it's a private school and they want to keep class sizes small to improve learning. There is another kindergarten class with 16 students led by a very nice older teacher. Both classes would interact with each other during recess and lunch, allowing the children to interact with larger groups and form relationships with other children besides the ones in their class.

Walking into the school, I greeted the other teachers who were settling into their new classrooms. They spent hours redecorating and setting up for the new year. Opening my door, I turn on the lights to be greeted by the classroom, I myself had spent hours setting up. The small desks were in the middle of the room clustered into groups of four, with the other centers littered around them, my circle time, word wall, and library were at the front of the room adjacent to my desk, the art and writing center was at the back of the room stocked with paper with every color of the rainbow, sitting on top of the shelf are fresh markers and crayons sorted in small cups ready for the children to use. The dramatic play was the center I was most excited about, I had cut out, and laminated tones of target symbols and labels for all the tiny food and shelves, a mini cash register was set up on the side, making it look like a mini-store for the children to play in.