Sept 10 - day 9

First day of school. I started with an assembly to welcome back the children. I got my third grad class and started playing with them immediately. They laughed and had some fun as I cracked jokes on them and on myself. I lined them up and walked them into class. I was supposed to deliver an English lesson, followed by math, followed by anther English class. Rather, I had my Two English classes and skipped math in lieu of a break from the redundancy and we walked to the stage area so the kids could play. It was a great release for them and we bonded a whole lot better for it.

 

They kept asking me to play soccer with them upstairs in the gym but I had to deliver a social studies class instead. In between those classes I was asked to interview a child and father to see if his son was apt enough for my English class. I told the father to beat it and I went for a walk with the kid asking him his name and his favorite sports and what he likes to watch on TV. I asked him what color his favorite cartoons were and he answered just fine. I told him to go tell his father that he was going to be in my class tomorrow. His father was really happy.

 

Then I had to substitute for a sixth grade class... who calls out on their first day?

 

I got some gifts: two Qur'ans in small wooden boxes; they were beautiful.

 

The kids were great and I only had to raise my voice once. Man, that's great for any third grader the world over. I focused on respect the majority of the day and reminded them of the benefits of mutual respect. Can't wait till tomorrow. I gave them the homework assignment of figuring a subject that they can teach us all about that will take approximately 5 minutes.

-- Bill,