There isn't anyone more disapointed about my slow and inconsistently growing belly than my students. Much to my surprise, they have been very interested and involved in my pregnancy! From the day I told each class that I was pregnant, everyone from Junior Kindergarten students (4 and 5 years old) to my 8th graders (13 and 14 years old) have been showing interest in my pregnancy.
And their excitement doesn't end in my classroom. Almost everyday, a new parent will tell me how their child talks about me and my soon-to-be baby. I also get teachers telling me that their students talk about my baby at recess, in class, on the PE field and on the buses.
Here are some of the comments and questions I get on a daily basis:
- 2nd grade kids- Can we see your belly? (I press my clothes against my belly so they can see better) WOAH...it's getting BIG!
- Kindergarten girl- Do you want it to be a boy or a girl? I want it to be a GIRL!!
- 1st grade, 3rd grade, JH kids- Can we take care of it when the baby is born? I'm really good with kids.
- 5th graders arguing- What are you going to name it? Will you PLEASE name it after me!? NO. Name it after me!! If it's a boy, name it after ME!
- 1st grade boy- Will you bring it to school so we can play with it?
- JH girls and boys- Do you need help moving that? You shouldn't be doing that, you know, since you're pregnant.
- 5th grade girl- How DO you get pregnant, anyway?
- Kinder girl- Is it okay if I hug you? I don't want to hurt the baby.
- Many students in Kinder- Goodbye Mrs. Zavoral! (while patting my belly) Goodbye, Little One!
- JH girls- Preggers!! How are you? Can I feel the baby!?
- Kinder-How do you get the baby out of you?
I hope this excitement continues. It is a neat experience to have my students--whom I consider my own kids in many way--so excited about my first baby. If I go back to work after the baby is born, then I think it will help make the two worlds of being a parent and a teacher seem less distant from each other.