Toddlers @ MindSay 
It was an amazing thing today. Seven active, antsy 2 yr olds sat spellbound as I read to them ... the Pledge of Allegiance, and the story of it. Of course, admittedly, I am rather dramatic! lol Very cool!
So ... our piratical escapades have come to an end ... with tons of booty to show for it! lol One fo these days, I should take pics of our art "wall". But for now, we're making the transition to the glories of
You may ... or may not have noticed that I haven't written much about my job. That's because I was well trained! My mommy taught me ... "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all!" or was that Thumper's mom? ;)
I started working with delightful 2 yr olds in October of last year. By state regulation, I can only have a class of 6 2yr olds per adult. Now ... one would think that a reasonably intelligent, rational adult could manage a handful +1 of kids. One would think ...
WRONG !!!!!
In February, I changed facilities, primarily for better compensation, but it is also a much different clientele. I remain optomistic, that at some point, we will take a turn for the better. We are still trying to establish "routine" so the children have some idea what to expect. We do lesson plans 2 weeks in advance, again, so the children & parents have some idea what the children will be doing during any given week. But still ... Mondays suck!
This is a new generation, ya know? These kids ... their language ... is built on words my generation consumed soap for even thinking! My own children never really went through the "terrible two's", so all this is totally foreign to me! My children knew better than to say "NO" to me or my Ex. We never "beat" them, but we also did more than use a "thinking place."
This is very, very hard for me, I must confess. Days like today, I did not successfully "manage" the classroom. They were in control, and I'm exhausted & frustrated. I am out of my element (trained for secondary students), but ... for whatever reasons, this is where I am right now, and I really want to "get a handle" on it, if possible.
I chatted with a few of the other teachers on lunch break, and asked them if they enjoy their work ... honestly. I mean, who deliberately chooses to come to a place to be tormented by two year olds for the day ... then go home? We all said about the same thing. We love the kids, but ... maintaining control of the classroom is ... well, that is the challenge! And ... this is DINOSAUR WEEK! I thought that would interest them ... get them engaged.
Maybe tomorrow ...
~ B
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas' marriage-age crisis is over. A law that mistakenly allowed anyone — even toddlers — to marry with parental permission was repealed by a measure signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Mike Beebe, ending months of embarrassment for the state and confusion for county clerks.
Lawmakers didn't realize until after the end of last year's regular session that a law they approved, intended to establish 18 as the minimum age for marriage, instead removed the minimum age to marry entirely. An extraneous "not" in the bill allowed anyone who was not pregnant to marry at any age with permission.
The bill read: "In order for a person who is younger than eighteen (18) years of age and who is not pregnant to obtain a marriage license, the person must provide the county clerk with evidence of parental consent to the marriage."
Some lawmakers called for a special session last year, saying the error would make it easy for pedophiles to take advantage of the law. Gov. Mike Beebe said he didn't see any imminent crisis and said the chances of children marrying under the law were slim.
Legislators, however, had the chance for a do-over this week when Beebe convened a special session to consider a hike in the state's severance tax on natural gas. They repealed the botched law, and reinstated 17 as the minimum age to marry for boys and 16 for girls.
Rep. Will Bond, the sponsor of the botched 2007 law and its correction, apologized for the error and asked his colleagues to "throw me a rope and bail me out here."
"I always thought if you put your name on a bill, you should be ready to take the blame if you're willing to accept the credit," Bond said Wednesday.
Bond, a Democrat, said there hadn't been any reports of young children attempting to marry under the 2007 law.
This week in Our Bloomin' Garden - the Younger Tot 2 yr olds ... we will begin a brief investigation of Nature's Transformers!
- Monday: Inspired by a great little book called, "First, the Egg," we will look at the journey of the egg as it incubates its tiny inhabitant - the peep -- > the chicken!
- Tuesday: We will plant a tiny marigold seed and watch as it is transformed into a blooming flower!
- Wednesday: We will talk about how the fuzzy caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly.
- Thursday: We will follow the transformation of a tadpole / polywog into a real, live frog!
All these kids are caught up in the fun & excitement of the Transformers, but little do they realize, the REAL fun & excitement of Nature's Transformers! ;)
~ B
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