An Affair to Remember...

I don't know why so many of my work stories revolve around nap time. Things do happen at other times of the day, I swear. But I suppose nap time is vital. Yes, I know. It's twelve kids laying in a darkened room to sleep for 2.5 hours, which doesn't sound very vital. If you've ever dealt with a child who has not gotten enough sleep, however, you'll capitalize that V very quick. I'm on-my-guard for any stirrings, quick to nip any outbursts in the bud as one wakes the whole room. Plus, the down time is vital for us teachers, too. We get time to do our paperwork and clean up. Time to sit down for a while and relax ourselves enough to be patient for the second half of the day. (And time for me to read, tee hee. What would I do without it?) And I can get very grumpy too when deprived of my nap time relaxation.

I think I sunk to a new low yesterday, though. Francisco would not stay on his mat. "Lay down," I would say, and he sat there and smiled, his eyes meeting mine like a cat's, searching for signs of dominance. "A-quest-a-tah," I said in my bad Spanish (which I can misprounce adequately but cannot spell). And he smiled. He pushed himself up on his hands and feet and pressed his head to the mat in a proto-headstand. Another child, seeing this, followed suit and I pictured the inevitable domino effect and me turning red in the face while losing all credibility and authority with the kids. I knew I had to do something to keep all of the kids down, to fend off a yoga class full of kids in down dog pose, for another 30 minutes or life would be hell. So I thought I'd make out with Spiderman.

Um hmm. Francisco brings a Spidey action figure to school as a comfort toy every day and I have gotten him very accustomed (yay for me!) to putting it in his cubby and leaving it alone. Causes too many fights when introduced into the wild. So I went and got Spidey and showed Francisco.

"I guess he can be my Spiderman now, huh?"
"Nooooo." He said, reaching a pudgy hand toward me across the room.
"Okay, then lay down."

Which he promptly did. I sat down with the doll in my lap. He had to test the theory a couple of times, as all kids do with all rules, and I would whip out Spiderman and hold him to my cheek, give him a hug and a peck on the cheek (after all, Spidey and I aren't on too intimate of terms).

"I love my Spiderman," I said. "I'm going to take him home and love him forever and ever."
"Noooooo."
"Then lay down."

Then after nap, I told Francisco what a good job he did staying on his mat and very obviously put Spidey back in the cubby from whence he came. It's outright bribery and I'm not denying that. I'm evil. I am well aware. But one or two times of this happening and Francisco will lay down without me having to cross the room to aid him. Without me having to ask twice. Without having the domination stare down. And Spidey always has been one of the cutest superheros... toned but not overly built, neither too wholesome or too dark...