Too old?

Is there anything you feel too old to do anymore?

This is a fun blog prompt!

It made me laugh as I thought about my preschool class, years ago now, when I realized, yes, I was too old for at least one activity! so, I will answer this writing prompt with THAT story! Here goes!

I was teaching preschool on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in Kyuquot, for many years. It was a tiny, isolated, predominantly First Nations community, with a small, but quite adequate, nation run preschool.

I had taught elementary school with a preschool component earlier on in the community, first on Walters Island, in the provincial two roomed school there, and then on reserve, when it was just held in one multipurpose room of what was essentially the clinic/band office at the time. Interesting! We needed to evacuate every time the room was used for a different purpose. Awkward! But preschool/kindergarten was happening!

Years later, Houpsitas Preschool/Kindergarten was built. It was vast improvement on previous conditions. One large self contained, unique kind of a space! An archtect’s dream come to life! Definitely an upgrade! This is the setting for my story.

I ran a tight program which covered every aspect of preschool education within limited hours. We had “gym” incorporated as an activity, just in the center of the big open space. I covered various aspects of the PE program as best I could within the limitations.

One day, I wanted to teach the somersault. So, I needed to demonstrate, but I hadn’t entirely though that through in a very practical sense, unfortunately. I knew what to do, I just hadn’t done it a very LONG time!

I got down on the floor, put my head down there on the mat I had prepared and suddenly realized what I was about to do, and I just COULDN’T! NO WAY I was doing THAT! What was I THINKING?!?!

So, having demonstrated at least the starting position, I took one of the children who had lined up behind me and got them into the starting position, helped them follow through into the somersault, and hey presto! The child completed it, and the next child, and the next!

Yay!!!! A successful demo!

Haha!!!!!

That was a LONG time ago now!

I think I’m far too old these days, at almost 75, for the somersault, though I still do some yoga….

PS: I started writing this in February and just completed it now, in December!

Ann