The preschool world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.
The precious has returned to my classroom. It is that one item that is slightly different from the rest. Once found, as legend has told, the preschooler will do anything to covet the item. They wants it. They needs it. Sneaky little preschoolers. Wicked, tricksy, false!
Unlike the world of Middle Earth, in the realm of preschool, the precious takes on many forms. On this occasion, it was an item that I had predicted. I had noticed it once, and hid the precious from view many weeks ago. It was a fork that was slightly larger than the rest, served to the children at lunch time. As an elder, an educator, I can resist the precious, but it is strong. For some reason, I didn't notice the new change the precious took.
This fork has a flower.
Three-year-old Elanor was passed the flower. Five-year-old Rosie saw the flower.
Elanor began to scream at the table. She flayed her body in her chair and kicked her legs out. She screamed, "Flower! Flower!" She was hysterical. I ran to the table. Among the screaming and crying, I heard a faint, low whisper. "Precious," Rosie muttered, hunched in her chair, sitting directly next to Elanor. Rosie saw the precious and took the precious from the younger, smaller child.
The younger, smaller Elanor lost it.
As quick as a magician, I snatched that fork from that Rosie, placed another at the table and said to Elanor, "Now the flower is gone. Nobody has the flower!" But my magic did not work this time. I had no pockets to hide the fork. It had mashed potatoes on it. They saw me throw it in the wash bin. Both children lost it now. I tried to say, "Let's eat! You both have the same forks now. The flower is gone. Let's EAT!" But it took quite some time for the girls to calm themselves.
Plus, they didn't want to eat their broccoli.
And all the others at the table saw the precious as well.
They knew the flower held a power over the child and wanted to covet it themselves.
So they saw.
And they will remember...
