This week...

It's been a crazy week. (Pull-up a chair!)

My class started Monday. Monday was overwhelming for EVERYONE involved. It didn't go terribly, but why is the start of anything so hard? Oh, yea, change is hard. I study the process of change (sometimes, but not for a few years) so, duh!

N started kindergarten last Thursday and we're still adjusting to pick-ups and drop-offs. I only almost drove to where the preschool was once (heh). (I'm kind of an auto-pilot person sometimes.) I think N is doing well, but she's bored in school. Her teacher caught me today as I was picking N up and she asked if I was still planning to volunteer in the classroom. I am indeed! Her teacher told me that N says she's bored sometimes. I'm not surprised. Her preschool was phenomenal and they kept the kids hopping. I diplomatically said this to the teacher. (I told her that N had done kindergarten curriculum all last year in pre-K at the pre-K she went to.)

Today was K's first ballet class for the fall. A new teacher. I had been excited about the new teacher, but now, not so much. I'm invoking my own, "give something 3-4 tries" before you give up on it rule. If I'm still unhappy in about a month, expect a ranting post!

What else...

Mary Poppins is freaking out a bit about all the change. It's much better today than it was on Monday. Monday wasn't pretty. That's all I'm saying. If you want more info, send me an email.

My Mom had surgery yesterday and she's doing fine. A wire had slipped on her pacemaker and had come loose. They re-attached it. Who knew that could happen?

Back to my class. I think most of my students are freaking out. The class is going to be challenging. It's a difficult subject. I'm being very up front and honest with them about my expectations. I'm also going to give them a lot of support, but I'm not teaching in a traditional manner. I think I'm doing things that will help my students more in the long term and make them more successful in understanding the subject and applying it even. I'm not sure how I would have felt about having me and my methods when I was an undergraduate, but I think I would have liked me and my methods after I got over the initial shock. I'm asking my students to give me 3-4 class periods before they freak out.

One of my students is going to be challenging. She's a bit, um, inflexible. I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person. I usually can do things pretty well, so this works for me. I plan when I need to. I planned on this class for about 2 months, but still, I lack some details. To me, some things have to be emergent. It drives people who want a plan crazy. I need my students to trust that I will make sure they succeed if they work hard, and if they collaborate in our class. This is going to be hard for this one student, I can tell.

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N (5.5) is telling K (3) about a story they read in kindergarten today. I've gotten lost along the way, but I'm multi-tasking and making dinner for 3 little girls. K is listening closely and asking questions. It's very sweet.

The little girls are eating a weird dinner... one of the items is our "fruit smoothy" with a few peas thrown in. I feel so good when K eats peas!

Did I tell you that T (2) knows how to get her own cup of ice water from the refrigerator???

Tomorrow is T's 2 year doctor's check-up too.

I think that's it for now.