Crumpled Notebook

So I was talking to a friend last night about my job. I joked that I didn’t do my job because I enjoyed working with kids but because I like annoying parents (complete joke of course). I was saying how frequently, I will feed the kids from any of the programs I do a big sugary snack, but I always wait until the end, when it’s near time for them to go home. Now truthfully, I don’t always feed them right before they go home, but you can bet on a few occassions that I pull out something like chocolate cake or [insert yummy sugar filled snack], I purposely wait until I’m done with my lesson or whatever I’m doing. Then I feed them above referenced cake and send them home, full of energy (and a sugar high).

Here is my method. When I have kids coming, I purposely drink a bunch of Coke (bunch being more than I normally drink, which is already a bunch to most people) so that by the time the kids get there, I am the one on the sugar high. You have to time this carefully though because if you do it too early, or quit with the sugar too early, then by the time the kids get there, you are on the sugar-low and your body is crashing. That sucks when you have to spend between one and two hours with kids.

So, I’m hyped up. That gets the kids hyped up of course. At the very least, they think I’m crazy and it’s fun for them to watch and aren’t complaining about how bored they are (which also sucks when that happens). So I’m hyper. The kids are getting hyper because I’m hyper, and then, when I’m done and satisfied they soaked up something, I pull out the big guns…chocolate cake.

Feed children cake. Send them outside to run around and throw balls. Send children home with parents…hyper and full of energy. Now, here is where the love/hate thing with the parents come in. I’m sure they hate that they pick up their kids (or I drop them off) all hyper, but with all the energy, the tell their parents how funny Ms. Melissa was tonight (you know, if they are under 6th grade). The also hopefully tell their parents something they learned. And lastly, they tell their parents how much they loved “Sonday’s Cool” “chapel” “youth group”, etc…. So then, despite the fact that they have hyper kids, the parents are glad they kids are happy and they keep sending them back to me.

For the teenagers, the parents opinion is less involved, but I guarentee, if you feed the kids chocolate cake (or anything for that matter), they’ll probably want to come back. Getting them to soak in information is a little more difficult, but apparently they sometimes think about it.

Therefore, chocolate cake=my job security.