You know you're a preschool teacher when...

• You come home with a paint handprint on your bottom, that you didn't know was there.
• You begin to praise adults with lingo like, "look at you! you are making dinner all by yourself."
• You see a toilet paper roll as an art supply.
• The song you have stuck in your head is Willaby Wallaby. No that is not a new rap artist, or a song by Katie Parry. It is in fact a highly effective children's song used to teach rhyming and alliteration. Let me demonstrate...

"Willaby Wallaby woo...an elephant sat on you. Willaby Wallaby We...an elephant sat on me. Willaby Wallaby wegan...an elephant sat on Megan. Willaby Wallaby wax...an elephant sat on Max." You get the general idea?

• You become more comfortable sitting on the ground than in your chair.
• You no longer blush when talking about body parts or where babies come from.

STORY: On the way into the classroom on Wednesday, one of the teachers was talking with Sadie (can't use her real name), one of our 3 year old students. While walking, Sadie was muttering something to her teacher very quickly, and quite incoherently. Figuring that Sadie was trying to ask her a question, the teacher asked "Did you say something about the grass?" Quite disgruntled Sadie said, "NO NOT GRASS..." She then repeated her original statement. To the astonishment of the teacher involved, Sadie had actually asked, "When am I going to get breasts?" The reason this teacher even realized what she was talking about was because Sadie was trying to locate them by grabbing at her own chest. The teacher quickly explained that she would get them when she got older, but that didn't stop Sadie. She continued to probe, asking why she couldn't have breasts like the teachers and her mom do, and was very upset that she was going to have to wait. Bless her.

• Bedtime is not only mandatory, but necessary. Personally on the days I'm in preschool I become so exhausted that I'm lucky if I make it past 10:30.
• 3 Triscuits and some grape juice can hold you over for at least 3 hours.
• Looking up at someone is a rare occurence.

AND FINALLY...

• You see children running around a grocery store screaming and flinch...wishing you could stop them. (Especially when you know just how to do so.)

The greatest part?

"Oh Teacher...I'm just thinking about how great preschool is..." AIDEN age 3

Yep...Totally worth it.