Life is good here. I'm teaching grade 5 again (and this is me, the high school family studies and sociology teacher saying this) and I really like it both at my school and at this grade level. One thing though, is that I really have a tough bunch this year. Each child is a lovely person, its just that they aren't very nice together...they don't listen to each other, respect each other or have patience for each other. It might be due to the dynamics of each of them, since there are challenging kids in the pack as well. In 17 kids I have the following: 1 kid who hasn't spoken English yet (and just arrived out of the Montessori system, so she doesn't have ANY formal math skills either); an additional 4 other kids who get withdrawn for extra language instruction up to 5 additional hours a week; one mentally challenged child who doesn't have this label, but I'm sure has some autistic tendencies; one physically disabled kid who gets his own (huge) desk and chair for comfort; two gifted kids who can out calculate and out-logic me in any math lesson; one emotionally volatile boy who cries at least 3 times a week; one severely dyslexic child who last year came out of a bilingual (French-Flemmish) school so also has language issues and then about 7 other children who have to put up with all these needs and disruptions each day as their classmates come and go for extra language instruction, occupational therapy, remediation, speech therapy, intensive support sessions or just music instruction! I feel like I have a revolving door on my classroom! Oh, and the aide that was going to come into my classroom? Declined the position once she heard the pay and security of the job...so I'm on my own in there, folks!
Here are two pictures, of some of the girls and some of the boys...playing a team game against the other grade 5 classes on the first day of school.
On another note, M's doing well musically, but unfortunately of the next 10 or so engagements on stage that are scheduled, 6 of them are back in Canada. He'll be leaving for 6 weeks starting mid November and then we'll join him in Canada for Christmas. It will be the first time my parents will be home for the holiday since I was in University so we'll be going to the cottage to celebrate there among the snow and pinetrees (well, that's our hope, that it is cold enough to enjoy a real winter and skate on the lake). Here's a picture of December 2003 to show you that its possible!
The kids are good. Their French is much better than mine now. M (10) has been getting good reports from his new teacher, seems to tolerate his class of 15 girls and one other boy (when he's a teenager he'll really regret missing enjoying this opportunity!) and loves to read. Its hard to get English books for kids here, so I've been bringing home library books for him from work and we both read them together. We're currently reading the 3 very large tomes of Eragon and may get into Stephanie Meyers' series about vampires next...I'll have to see if that's appropriate for his age level first...not sure yet. D (6) is proving to be very physical, so we need to get him into some organized sport. His teacher says he isn't very good at behaving appropriately or listening to instruction, even though he does all his work and is fine academically. We're all sure all he needs is an outlet for his energy and he'll settle right down (yeah, right!).
Well, no one else is up, what better time to catch up on some report writing before I will have to tolerate grumpy hungry little ones...Dad used to say it was a case of "feed the brute" meaning that children who have hungry tummies can be as miserable as a just woken black bear in spring...I think he was referring to me in my childhood!
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