Gifts

I am talking to one of the other teachers.

"Vivian is so bossy," she says, and rolls her eyes.

"Andrew is too sensitive."

I listen to her complaints.

Xavier won't keep up.  Adam doesn't like to play with others.

Over and over, she turns what could be their greatest strengths into weaknesses.

Adam doesn't like to play with others.  Adam is independent.

Xavier won't keep up.  But Xavier wants to stop because he's curious.  He wants to stop so he can investigate his world.

Andrew is too sensitive.  I love Andrew's tender heart because it's just like mine.

Vivian is so bossy.  Vivian is smart and ambitious and she knows what she wants.  And she's not afraid to ask for it.  I wish I was more like her.

I hear all this negativity and frustration and part of me understands that spending your day with a big group of one-year-olds is exhausting.

But mostly I'm just angry.