Miss a-Panda

Date:  March 2010

Age/Gender: 5 year old little boy

Locale:  Red Room

Alias:  W

Sometimes our little people come up with some pretty cute pet names for their teachers.  One of my paraeducators informed me the other day that one of our kiddos has been addressing her as "school" when he wants something.  Our Miss Misti is regularly called "Miss T" and even "Miss Tiffi."  Throughout my first two years of teaching, I went by "Miss Melody."  My poor kiddos had one heck of a time pronouncing "Melody."  It regularly came out as something more to the effect of "Mew-o-wee."  So, two years into my teaching career, I became "Miss Mel," which, coming from some of my artic delayed kids, still sounds like "Miss Mouw." 

One of the cutest pet names however, has gone to our Miss Amanda this year.  Since the beginning of the year, our little "W" has addressed her as "Miss a-Panda."  He has been so consistent about it, that at times all of us co-workers refer to her as "Miss Panda" as well.  This pet name quickly grew on our "Panda" and she secretly fell in love with it (oh, yes, you know you did, Miss Panda *teasing/knowing, toothy-grin*).

A week or two ago, the class was getting ready to go outside and "W" addressed our "Miss a-Panda" as "Miss Amanda" as he was asking for her assistance.  She was shocked, dismayed, dumbfounded and even seemed to be slightly hurt that he had pronounced her name correctly!  She exclaimed to him, "W, I'm Miss a-Panda!  What happened to Miss a-Panda!?!?!?"  

W put on his serious, round little lecture face and proceeded to explain to our poor miss Amanda that, "You are getting bigger now.  It is time for you to grow up and be Miss Amanda.  You are not 'Panda' any more.  You have to be Amanda now.  BUT, you can't keep growing or you'll grow up way into the sky and the clouds and then you'd be a giant.  You just need to be Miss Amanda."  W then sped off to play, leaving a very heart-broken Miss Amanda in his wake.