Day 2 with kids

So I finally have a title, Acting Headmistress, and I finally know for sure that admin is NOT for me! 

I had the chance to go into the grade 2 class to watch a Math lesson but it wasn’t long before I was doing the activities with the children and the teacher was watching me. She took the time to get a few things done as well since I had completely taken over her lesson so that was a good break for her but it taught me that sitting in an office is not what being an educator is all about for me. 

I love being with the kids. I hate dealing with transport that won’t pick up a 6 year old at her home because it is too hard to reach (so he expects her to wait at the side of the road) or with the fact that one teacher refuses to teach a particular subject because she’s not good at it. I much prefer being with the kids where the refusals and tantrums can be forgiven by the age of the person involved. 

At least we’ve had power for 80% of the day today so I have been able to research certain topics for teachers and try to discover a phonics program that is easy to use and apparently doesn’t require flash (because our internet is too slow to even consider anything like that!) My office administrator is amazing and I keep telling her that. I would never survive without her. When I have a parent meeting, she draws up the chairs and sits with us. She looks at me while she is talking so that it looks like I am the one leading the discussion but she is the one who does all the talking. I sit like a bobble head just nodding up and down.

We had a parent come in a couple days ago for a meeting, sit down then pull out the newspaper while we were talking to him. I asked Zee if that was normal for people to read the paper while they spoke to us and she said that it wasn’t. Thank goodness. I was going to like parents even less if it was. For the most part the parents have been super and welcoming but there are always some that are less than desirable! Then there are the ones who talk so softly that I have no idea what they are saying and I have to ask them to repeat themselves all the time. I feel like an idiot and I can see them getting a wee bit frustrated with me. I’m going to start telling them that I have a hearing impairment. See if that helps.

The students started yesterday and while we have 59 enrolled, there are probably only about 40 who have attended this week. Kids are picked up and delivered to the school by 7:30 so it makes for an early start for several of them. The 3 year olds (Kindergarten) are here until 12:30, the 4-7 year olds (Reception to grade 2) are here until 2:10 and the rest file home at 3:10. Some are picked up by their parents and they literally drive right to the classrooms. I can see and smell the exhaust from my office window. Makes all the work we are doing at my school in Kelowna to encourage children to walk seem unfair to the poor little kiddies who have to walk from the car, across the field and into the classroom!!

School starts at 8 and yesterday I had no lessons to watch or teach so I was basically in my office (the library) for the day. I was working on a training workshop in my notebook (we lost power 4 times yesterday so most was done on paper) when suddenly there was this little finger held up in front of my face. A girl in year 1 had a paper cut and had come for a bandage. I wrapped her tiny finger in the in ginormous school issued bandaid (we have those at home – massive bandages that don’t stick worth beans on little tiny fingers) and sent her on her way.

After lunch, she came back into my office and showed me a scratch on her leg. I asked her if she wanted another bandage and she nodded. I went to put it on her leg and she shook her head then pointed to the exact spot on the scratch where the bandaid was to be. She is adorable and quiet like a mouse.

Today, I have been in and out of the office (apparently taking over Math classes!) and have had more success with the internet and power. There are two breaks per day: 10:30 for snack and 12:30 for lunch. Both are provided. I went out at snack time to make an appearance and see that everyone was ok but was working at the start of lunch.

“Break time,” came this tiny voice from the doorway. I looked up and there she was. My bandaid beauty.

“Pardon?” She had whispered so low that I wasn’t sure I had heard properly.

“Break time.”

“You want me to come for break with you?”

She nodded and came to take my hand to go for lunch with her. We sat together as she ate her sausages and I ate the other yummy food James had prepared. We didn’t talk and she got up to clear her plate and wash her hands so I thought she would go to play. Instead, she followed me to the library and we read books together for the rest of the break. A few others came to sit in the library to read because it was a hot day today. At 1:10 I told them that it was time to go back to class and so she got up and left.

At the end of the day, a little boy from Reception (4 years old) came trotting into my office. I greeted him and asked if he needed anything. I had read with his class in the library earlier in the day but couldn’t remember that he had left anything here.

“No. I forgot to say goodbye. So goodbye. I will be back tomorrow for school.”

I’m not a fan of the little ones but I have to say that these ones are absolutely adorable. How can anyone hang up their “teacher/student” hat to take on an “admin/teacher/parent” hat. I know that teachers deal with parents and admin deal with students but the focus is so different.

Already I am trying to revise my schedule so that I can take over some novel study classes. Corey says 94% teacher, 6% human. I have never debated that fact!