No offense, but children are never "interested" in structure, but they THRIVE in it. That teacher saying she quit because of the children... I'm sorry, but she was in the wrong line of work. If she couldn't handle it, that was on HER, not the children... Implement a structure for those children and all really will be fine. Have a schedule, but KNOW that you need to be flexible at the same time. You can allow for freedom of choice in a structured room - set up learning centers that are FUN and interesting... Believe me, children are always ready to learn. You just have to tap into their natural, already existing curiosity. So long as they're curious and allowed to be, they're into learning. Tap into that.
And to the rest of the group - yes, it's "developmentally inappropriate" for preschool children to use coloring sheets, but like it or not, it's one more skill they need to have under their belt in Kindergarten. When they get into K, the teacher will be looking at their skill level and ability when it comes to that. It's part of Kindergarten screening around here.
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