I'm Sort of a Primary Gal, Myself

You know how some people are just MADE for Relief Society?  They just love it and all the cheesy things old people say to each other? (No offense if you are one of those people :) )  And how they love to cry and feel that "bond of sisterhood" or whatever?  And how other people are MEANT for Young Women's?  How they connect with the youth and love to go to and plan weekly activities and make handouts for all the lessons and "feel young again"? 

Not me. (in fact, with the exception of my younger siblings, teenagers scare the crap out of me) 

I'm made for Primary.  There is something about the innosense of kids that just gets me...right there...you know? (if you are a RS or YW lover you might not know :) ).   Primary rocks.  You get to sing and do wiggle songs and play games and color...I mean come on!  And the things kids say are just funny.  ESPECIALLY the sunbeams!  It's fun to watch them learn and put pieces together and actually remember what you taught them!

Last summer I started teaching the 8-9 year olds in our ward.  Which was a challenge.  I've taught Primary before, but it was the Sunbeams...the 3&4 year olds.  And that was SOOO much fun.  Sure it was hard.  They came straight from Nursery where they'd been playing for 2 hours and now they have to sit and LISTEN for two hours. 

I sidetrack.

The 8&9 year olds scared me at first.  Plus they were mostly all BOYS!  (what the crap do you do with a bunch of boys?  I only relate to pink, princesses, flowers, dresses and glitter.  Guns?  Fighting?  Sports?  They speak a foreign language as far as I'm concerned.)  And due to the size of our Ward's Primary (teeny, tiny) and the fact that some teachers had been released and their positions not filled I basically was teaching all of Sr. Primary.  Which as far as numbers go was still only 7-9 kids when they were ALL there, but the issue was that you had siblings that were several years apart that were together in a class who shouldn't be.  I had a partner for a while, but she was called to be the YW Pres, so I was left alone for a while.

Well, I got the hang of it.  Of course there are weeks I can't figure out how I can stretch out a 5 minute lesson, but it always works out.  Luckily we were on the Old Testament and there are some great stories in there for boys especially.  Fighting, wars, fire, lions, hangings...seriously it's full of action.  And I could keep their attention for a while on those stories.  We had some struggles with behavior, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Well it's a new year and a new class.  Most of the kids are the same, I have a new partner (THANK YOU!) and last week the only two kids there were probably the two best behaved ones I could ask for.  It was the easiest lesson I had taught in a LONG time!  But I love all the kids in my class, seriously.  They all have their own little personality and strengths and they are what make the class fun!