Going Back to Preschool

For the first time in nine years, I went back to teaching preschool this last fall. It was something I had considered doing once my own children were in school, but when the opportunity arose earlier than that at the same preschool my daughter attended, I went ahead and jumped in, hoping I could remember how to do it.
Somehow, I made it through my first year back, even grieving for the lost months at the end of the year when COVID struck everyone's lives. But despite that, I wanted to share some insights I gained by going back to preschool.

1. The children don't care about the crafts as much as I do. Sure, they enjoy them, and love getting their hands messy, but they'd be just as happy playing and having my attention through other ways, too. I stressed much more than I should have over those crafts, and even though they turned out cute, I need to relax a bit next year.
2. Not every child is going to act the same way mine do ... and vice versa. I had gotten so used to how my own kids acted around lunch or naptime or whatever that it was hard for me to accept that the ones coming into my class weren't going to automatically do everything the way I'd trained my own to. Sure, we got into a rhythm and routine by the end of the year, but it took time. I can't let myself get so frustrated when one doesn't know how to sit still during lunch or lay quietly during naptime right at the beginning. I need to teach them. Just like I still have to learn to do things other people's ways instead of always the way I want to.
3. It's not worth it. Now hold up. I'm not talking about teaching preschool here, believe it or not. I'm actually talking about the stress I had at the beginning of the year. When I was still doubting myself, wondering what I'd gotten into, trying to do ALL THE THINGS despite having less time. And you know what? I still could, so I'd worried for nothing. I achieved what I set out to do and the worry wasn't worth it. It only made me have headaches and several other problems on top of what I wanted to do in the first place.
4. Love. At the beginning of the year, those kiddos come in, just as uncertain as you are about how things are going to be and whether or not they'll like preschool. But you know what? If you keep loving on them, you're going to get so much love back in return. The waves and grins and stories their mamas told me about "Ms. Amy" made my day. And I am looking forward to doing this for quite some time.
5. I missed having coworkers. I hadn't worked a real job since having my daughter almost five years before. And while I've made some amazing friends in other places, there's just something about the camaraderie you get when you're in the same environment with similar struggles several days a week. Especially when those coworkers are all Christians, too. I had missed that, and I'm thrilled to have it once again.

Have you gone back to doing something you left in the past? Did you learn something new from it? Have you had a similar experience to mine?