My First Day with 3 Year Olds

Yesterday was a crappy day here in Tennessee. It was rainy and absolutely nasty. I made it to the day care at 7:30 in the morning and the kids were wide awake and ready to go. The teacher I am replacing was there walking me through the day. We have 18 kids total in the class and these kids range from absolutely adorable and pretty horrible. There were two that I knew immediately would be a problem, Mr. Locus and Ms. MaKayla. They fight with the other kids every chance they get and unfortunately I think the other kids have been allowed to constantly wine so there is a huge scene every time misbehaver happens. I know that I will be a bit tougher on these kids than the last teacher, but I have know doubt they will love me for it.
I was there five hours yesterday and I found that everything we did took more time to prepare than the actual event. It took us 30 minutes to get ready for morning snack, then 20 minutes to prepare for circle time, 45 minutes to clean up for lunch, and 45 minutes to settle down for nap time. That's two and a half hours just getting ready for things! I guess I'll get used to it, but I really felt like the time flew but we hardly accomplished anything!
Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved every second of being with these kids. They remind me to look at the world in a much more creative way. You can't just ask 3 years olds to stay quite, you have to give them something more interesting to listen to. I enjoy the challenge and love the affection. Wednesday I will be there the full 8 hours so I wonder how I'll feel about things then. :o)