Being the Co-Op Parent

On Tuesday I was the co-op parent for Katie's class. Every day her class has 2 teachers and 1 co-op parent. With 12 kids in the class, each parent co-ops about once a month. This was my first time and I was a little nervous being in charge of 12 kids. But luckily the teachers had it all under control.

It was interesting to see what their school day is like. We started off playing on the playground for about 45 minutes, despite it being the coldest day of the year so far (27 degrees when class started). My job started as the Primary Swing Pusher but then I got promoted to Bear (at least I think that's a promotion) and chased the kids around the playground, partly for fun but mostly for warmth.

Then we went inside and had snack and split into different project groups. My group (which included Katie) glued buttons and pieces of felt to cardboard. If they only knew how many times me and glue have ended badly, they probably wouldn't have made that my project group. But luckily everything went well.

After that the class reconvened for for general playtime and singing. We sang a song in French about friends ("Amie, Amie, un deaux trois..."), read books, played with puzzles and blocks, and cooked food in the play kitchen.

It was neat seeing Katie play with her friends. She played well with everyone and seemed to genuinely enjoy being there. The teachers were also remarkable in how they kept the class under control without being overbearing. They let the kids play but never let it get out of hand. And they never raised their voices or looked exasperated. I have no idea how they do that every day.


Katie (2nd from left) and her school friends sit on the log, preparing to go inside after playing on the playground on the coldest day of the year.


Katie on the swings (of course) after school.