Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful I chose to be a teacher!!!!!

Seriously, I spent 10 1/2 hours at school today and it just whizzed by. My biggest problem is going to be watching the clock so I give myself plenty of time with my family too.

I really wish every child could go to IDS. It is such a wonderful, child-centered school. If I taught at most schools they would have hired a sub to cover my class while I was on maternity leave. The sub may have even been pretty good, maybe even fantabulous. No matter what, I would have probably returned to somewhat unhappy parents this week. Either A) they would have loved the other teacher and they would be mad I was disrupting everything for their kids, or B) they would have been upset with the situation to begin with and spent the last 4 1/2 months stewing about it. But, at IDS they really do put kids first. They hired one of those fantabulous teachers that people would have lynched me for replacing. And the class that would have been mine is THRIVING with her!!! Now why in the world would you mess with perfection??? So, now that I am back, I am still able to work with my old team during planning times and a few other times during the week. That way the kids get the consistency of keeping the best PK4 teachers on the planet, and still get all my experience (because I go to planning and offer my wisdom (NO LAUGHING) in their lesson plans.

I on the other hand "got a promotion". When Corbin was little he asked me if I would ever get promoted to a higher grade. He didn't use those exact words, but that was the basic message. When I got to be a good enough teacher, I could move up! (I challenge anyone with that philosophy to try to teach wiggly 4 year olds how to read, add, sit still, heck.. the biggest challenge is to teach them what a question is.) But, I digress...I got promoted to Upper Primary! We have 3 first grade classes and 3 second grade classes. Although, IDS multiages most of them. We have the Brilliant Bugs which are a 1/2 combo and The Cool Cats are a 1/2 combo. Then the Monkey classes are straight first and straight second. My job is basically to play resource teacher to the upper primary. I am providing help to those who need a little extra assistance to figure something out, and also some extra help to any students needing a challenge. I will also be an "additional teacher in the room" for lots of those lessons where you just wish you could clone yourself. I am really really really excited. If you are going to go back to work and put your baby in day care, it is good to feel like you are really impacting the lives of others. I taught 1st grade before Corbin was born. But it has certainly changed in many ways. What a great experience to see how things have developed in some ways and how the "tried and true" is still the way to go in other ways. I get to learn all this from 6 teachers that I am going to video tape secretly. I could make the most amazing YouTube video ever. They partner teach and seriously, they really do finish each other's sentences. Like a married couple! Even when they are planning. One will start a sentence and in the most bizarre place the other will just finish. Like 2 heads on one body---- freaky! They don't even realize they do it sometimes. They NEVER talk on top of each other like twins will. I am still trying to figure the trick out. If you could only clone them and put them in classrooms all over the world. I am going to learn and grow so much, which, when you have taught long enough, is a really really good thing. Sometimes, we really benefit from a shot in the arm of inspiration and awe. I am getting 6 of those shots at once. In my first 30 minutes of being in the Bug classroom I had to work hard to not cry. I was picking up their writing journals and reading what they were doing. They were SOOOO amazing that literally I was going to tear up. (not the 1st impression I wanted to make). Remember, these were my 4 year old babies 1 1/2 years ago! What a gift to see what they are doing now. They have matured so much while still holding on to their same little personalities.

So, in keeping with my theme.... I am very very very Thankful for my new teaching opportunity and the wonderful teachers in Early Primary and Upper Primary who are offering me this gift. May every child be so lucky as to have Teachers like the ones at IDS!!!

I am also very thankful for the baby room ladies at IDS who are taking great care of Ariana. Ariana seems to be doing very well. Yes, I see signs of "adjustment/stress". Frankly, I think if you don't see them you are not looking well enough. Ariana shivers more this week. After baths she is having more of a challenge regulating her body temperature and getting "warm" again. Yesterday, she was more irritable. She cries a little when I dress her in the morning because she knows this new routine. She also cried 2 days as I left. But, during the day she laughs and has fun. Of course! This is the one life (group life) she knows and does well. The good news is that Ian will have time next week and in the future to keep her at home. The goal is to minimize the group time that she has to experience and to maximize the time she has one on one with a parent.