First Day - Do You Know...

Today was actually the second day of Pre-K, but the first day of Parents Day Out Preschool. On Wednesday's, preschool is slightly different than on Tues/Thurs. So today, we had a more typical first day back to school day.

In an attempt to get my Pre-K teachers a longer break, and to bring the classes together again for music, I went to the wall for them to increase music time. It was tried last year but I came in too late in the bargaining to have any influence. Long story short, the teachers have the longer break now and the classes leave at the same time, but split up to attend one music class with the music teacher and the other class goes with yours truly to an upstairs room where we are supposed to be following the carefully laid out plans of the week. Now, lest anyone think this bothers me....Did you read the words "supposed to"?! This is playtime!!! Yeah, today went swimmingly!

I was unable to familiarize myself with the new CD player beforehand. I know what you're thinking: how hard is it to push play right?! Well, after years of working this job, I know a CD player is not as simple as it looks. So I'm up there with 10 antsy kids and the stupid CD player won't play. I'm checking everything - power, ck; it's on cd (not tape or FM), ck; track 1, ck; not on pause, ck; But it won't spin and it won't play!! I'm pushing play and it starts spinning but then it stops. What a pain! I look at the kids and say, "which one of you does your mom ask to turn stuff like this on for her?" and then it suddenly starts by itself and everyone laughs at my face and we're off to the races! I don't know how or why but yahoo! So then I try to do the next song on the play list but I think I was supposed to switch CD's, or I didn't read her notes right because the song was sooooo not the right one. I'm looking at the kids as the intro music begins and they are looking at me and we're making quizzical faces at each other like "really?! do you REALLY think so?!" and I start laughing when some sort of rap version of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" comes on. I listened to it for a second because I kind of thought it had potential but then I turned it off. And whaddya know, all the kids begged, and I mean, begged for it! "WE WANT THE MUFFIN MAN!!!" Now, normally, I wouldn't have hesitated and let 'em have it...but, I knew the church people were listening in so this was all slightly embarrassing. But, c'mon, the rapping Muffin Man was just too much for me to resist. So I skipped back to it and we let it rip!!!

We jumped to our feet and we rocked it! We danced some and then we brought out our imaginary mixing bowls and we mixed up some muffins!! Then during some funky instrumental portion we tiptoed around because that sound seemed to go with tip-toeing, and then when it got funky again we went marched backwards towards Drury Lane while singing at the tops of our lungs and then we went back to rocking the heck out of the Muffin Man!

But by far, the two funniest things happened after the song. However, that dancing had to have been funny to watch. Thank goodness nobody could see us. First, one of the kids demanded to see the front of the CD case. I was perplexed but I showed it to her. Then she goes, "which one of those guys is the Muffin Man?!" So of course I totally point to the biggest dufus on the cover and with authority say "it's that one" and then there was a riot as all 10 kids rush to see the Muffin Man. The other funny thing happened on the way back to their class. One of the new kids to the school this year took my hand and said to me, "I gotta say, that Muffin Man kinda creeped me out!". Boy did I laugh! I couldn't wait to tell his mom after school about it. I told her I hoped he meant either the song, or the hippie on the CD cover, and not me!