nose-deep in the first month of school

We’ve got four weeks of school behind us already. That only leaves approximately 32 to go. Not that I’m counting! I’m more amazed. This month has FLOWN by. Time flies when you’re having fun, and when you’re too busy to think about the time on the clock or the date of the calendar.

Truth be told, there have been moments in the past few weeks when I just felt completely overwhelmed.  I have to learn the names of over 200 students, and seriously? Little kids all look the same. Especially if they have a brother or sister in a consecutive grade. So many Daniels, Marias, Joshuas, Josephs, Marys, Davids, Johns, Christinas and Sarahs. 

The weird names are easier to pick up. Aoife? Ma Yan? Alezis? Anushka? Jericho? Praise? Hosanna? It requires more thinking and sticks out from the rest. (PS. Aoife is pronounced “ee-fah”)

I’m trying to keep the NorthStar program organized. Trying to collect all of their work at the right time and keep them from getting too far behind! Trying to show them how to do their very best. Trying to get them to take responsibility for their own learning.
 Trying to organize fun, interesting, useful lessons for the students in Art class.  It’s an elective, and it’s main goal is to keep their child-like creativity and to learn basic skills. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m not in High School anymore! They are all artists when they are 6 and 7.

But I’m not a trained elementary school teacher, and when you have 23 7-year-olds in a classroom, it’s hard to figure out who and what to keep on top of. I have on girl who I’m pretty sure is legally blind…or pretty darn close to it. She will probably learn the most in this class, IF I can keep the others occupied long enough to help HER.  One-on-one attention would be way better. Sadly, they don’t have an assistant anymore. So I’ll keep an extra eye on that one.

I’m exhausted, but it’s a good kind of exhaustion. Last night we had our first Girls’ Bible Study for the year, and it was a pool party! After 5 long days of school, we still had enough energy to swim for an hour and eat pizza and cookies and laugh. A LOT. Turns out, I’m a terrible influence on these kids…organizing a group cannonball jump, hooking the noodle up to the jet so that it shoots water across the pool (which is just an intro to physics…squeeze the end of the noodle and it goes farther), encouraging chicken wars and many other ways of splashing your neighbour.  It was so much fun.  We had all the energy we needed!

Once I got home last night, I made the mistake of lying down on my bed, fully clothed, contacts in…and it took every last ounce of self-discipline that I had to get up again.

The diem was totally carpéd!

¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11