An Almost Perfect Day

My Mom and I, along with my brother and his wife, their two kids, and mine, went to Crystal Cave in Spring Valley, WI. After seeing the cave, we prospected for gems, went on a nature hike, and then went to the Apple Orchard. I’m not sure who enjoyed the day more, the kids or the adults…

We started out with a tour of the cave. It was damp, dark, and not nearly as chilly as I expected. When I was a kid, I had gone on cave tours before (mostly in MO). They always amazed me – still did today! There was really nothing new and spectacular, but it was still amazing. It was a typical tour of different types of caverns, total blackness (where they turned the lights out), bats that flew over our heads, etc… The thought that all those wonders can exist, and we may never know is amazing! Makes me wonder where else there may be cave formations right under our feet!

After our cave tour, and a brief stop in the gift shop, the kids got their bags of “sand” to prospect for gems in. The kids had fun getting all the larger ones, but the adults had fun looking through the smaller pieces of what looked like cat litter to find the tinier pieces of gems, and other cool rocks! They gave each child an identification card, so they could see what they got in their bag. The older two girls, 8 and 9, especially had fun trying to identify their fragments! The younger two had about as much fun playing in the water as anything, as most 5 year olds would…

When everyone finally decided we were done prospecting, we headed for their Nature Trail. It was a beautiful walk through the woods. We saw some beautiful flowers, mushrooms growing in odd places (like 8 ft or so in the air on a tree), mystery substances on trees, and of course, BEAUTIFUL fall colors! This year, the colors seem to be especially gorgeous!! It was only about a 20 minute hike up and down hills, over fallen branches, etc. Not a hard walk, by any means – enjoyable by all! The weather was perfect, everyone was getting along… it was great! There was one point where my kids got into a little tiff, but that’ll happen, especially when one of the children is a 5 year old, still trying to outgrow naps!

After enjoying all the activities Crystal Cave had to offer, it was off to Maple Leaf Orchard for a hayride. Unfortunately, when we got there, hayrides were not being offered, due to all the recent rain. They did, however, have people standing behind crates of apples, ready to slice off a piece of whatever kind you wanted to taste! We all went from crate to crate, sampling the different kinds. The kids like the Honeycrisp and Sweet 16 the best. We sampled Connel Reds and Cortlands, because they were the two kinds offered for “pick your own.” I liked the Connel Reds the best, but was over-ruled by the other 3 adults who liked the Cortlands the best. They were good, but I think the Connel Reds would make a better applesauce. As we started picking them off the tree (and sampling them) we decided the ones on the tree were a tad more tart than the sweet one we tasted inside. The older two girls probably enjoyed the apple picking the most. Grace especially had fun using the apple picker to get the high ones. We ended up with a half dozen or so Honeycrisp apples, and a whole bag of Cortlands. I expect we’ll be eating lots of apples in the near future! I’m looking forward to my favorite fall treat – sliced apples, cooked in a little butter, sugar and cinnamon (occasionally, I put a little brown sugar in too). I always make enough for the kids, even though they never eat them. Oh darn, more for me! My Mom left with some squash, and a delicious apple pie that we all ate as soon as we got back to her house!

Overall, it was an almost perfect day! The only thing that would have toppled the day into perfection would have been if Jerry, Jason and his boys were with us!! I think they all would have enjoyed the day as much as the rest of us!

Glorified Babysitters

Teaching is really more than a job, it’s a service. Teaching and serving families takes passion, energy, time, understanding, and love.

I have struggled in my 12+ years as an Early Childhood Teacher in how other people see what I do. My first several years after college were in a Child Care Center, as have the past few. Some people very close to me made me feel like it wasn’t a “real” job. I don’t think some people understand that the teachers in a Center aren’t just “glorified babysitters.” When I got a job teaching in the School District, suddenly my job became more respectable to people who previously poo-poo’d it! It was as though I was finally a “real” teacher! I will admit, there are benefits to having a job in the School District, but my actual job was not very different from what I had been doing other years. The core of my responsibility was the same, I just had additional things that were required in our curriculum…

Over-all, Early Childhood Teachers (birth -PreK and up) have the same goals in mind. We work very hard to help guide children to grow and develop. We plan lessons, art projects, and activities to allow children to explore, create, and learn social skills. We create environments in which children can learn more about the world around them and how things work. We help children build self-esteem. We do our best to help families keep children healthy and safe…

One amazing thing about children is that they learn in whatever they are doing! If they are “playing” in the sand box, they are developing fine motor skills by scooping and dumping, they are learning about volume as they discover how much sand can fit in their bucket, they are even learning engineering skills as they create the biggest, best sandcastle ever!

I think it’s a little funny when people ask the age old question, “What do you do?” When I tell them I work in child care, their response is “Oh”… often with that look as if they are sorry or ashamed for me. What’s funny to me, is that those are the same people that spend a short time in our classrooms, and say, “I could NEVER do what you do!”

Whether you are talking to an Early Childhood Teacher in a Child Care Center, or in the School District, we are educated professionals helping shape the world for young children, and preparing them for future successes in school and in life!

Encourage Girls for the Future…

This past weekend, I attended another SQL Saturday, this time, in Iowa City. Jason (Twitter|blog) told me there was going to be a Women in Technology panel over lunch. After talking to Jes Borland (Twitter|blog) and Wendy Pastrick (Twitter|blog) about the topic, “Empowering the Next Generation”, I wanted to check it out. Being the awesome people they are, they invited me to sit in!

The speakers, Jes, Wendy, and Kathi Kellenberger (Twitter|blog), talked about encouraging children (girls especially) towards math and science, engineering and computers. They talked about stereotypes with women in the field of Technology. One of the women in the room commented that if she wants her ideas heard at work, she needs to ask a man to say it for her. Another woman commented that she if she said something in a meeting, it would be as if nothing was said. If a man said exactly the same thing, people would say it was a great idea. My first thought was that they might have been somehow enabling the people they work with. I can’t imagine that kind of work environment!! Kathi mentioned how lucky she felt to have never really experienced this. She mentioned showing off her awesome skills and demanding the respect she deserved (OK, she might not have said it quite that way, but the idea was there).

The panel talked about the struggles some girls have being the minority interested in science, math, or computer classes. There was talk about all-girls’ schools and whether or not those girls had an advantage… Overall, it comes down to support – parents need to be supportive and encouraging when their daughters are struggling with being one of the only girls interested in math or science. Jes likened it to being the geeky, unathletic kid, being picked last for “the team.” That was often her experience in math and science classes in high school, and computer classes in college. Luckily, she had some great teachers who encouraged her, as did her Mom. Another way we can help our “smart” children not feel left out, is to encourage them to talk to their friends. They may have friends interested in the same things, but because they don’t talk about it, they don’t even know. If they can find friends who will take classes with them, it might be more fun!

An easy way we can encourage kids towards technology, is simply by exposing them to it. Allow children to play video games, both on gaming systems, and on the computer. Give them access to MP3 players, ipods, etc… Then, as they are enjoying it, ask them, “Do you know how it works? Do you want to know?” There are many programs available for children (especially girls) that encourage them to check out technology or related fields. Some programs mentioned were: Microsoft’s Digigirlz Program, Robotics Competitions, Women Soar , Girls in Technology, etc. that encourage children in engineering, programming, etc. Kendra Little (Twitter |blog) mentioned that Seattle has a program called IGNITE, there are 6 states with IGNITE chapters – I bet other areas have similar programs for girls too! In later conversation with some of the SQL Geeks (as I am lovingly calling all my new friends in the SQL Community), Alice was mentioned as a program to introduce students to the programming world, using creativity and storytelling to make programming fun. Once they have gotten comfortable with programming with Alice, they will be more ready for other programming platforms such as Java.

Think about the stereotype of a “Computer Guy”…. some geeky guy, sitting in a cubicle, glued to his computer, not talking to anyone, not even the people right next to him (thanks for the visual, Wendy). Really… who wants to be THAT guy? The reality is, that may be true for some people, but there can be a lot of interaction too… girls need to see that they can have social interactions, use their creativity, AND be able to work on computers!

Michelle Ufford (Twitter), part of the team who put together the SQL Saturday event, talked about online games as a great way to to appeal to both the technology and social interests of children. Note: as a parent, PLEASE be aware of what your children are playing! Be mindful of whether or not the game content is age appropriate. If you are allowing your children to play 1st person shooter games (like Halo), have a conversation with your children about what’s real and what’s not. Talk about how real people do not come back to life. I know, it seems obvious to us, but children, especially under age 7 or 8, often have a hard time determining between reality and fantasy! I was talking to an older man at breakfast at the hotel on Saturday. He was talking about games like Halo, and how realistic they are. He served in Vietnam, and said that though these games seem very real, the people come back to life once they are shot down… He said to me, “I assure you, with that much blood and guts in front of your face, it’s not fun and games! No wonder kids are killing people, they are confused…” We just have to remember, as parents, and as teachers, it is our responsibility to talk with our kids about the things we are exposing them to!

My daughter, Grace, 9, set up a Twitter account so she could follow Justin Beiber. Her very first tweet was about how annoying her brother is. Immediately, she and I had a conversation about what is appropriate to post online. She is not allowed to put anything negative about another person on the internet. She also wanted to start a blog about dance. Her dad is concerned about her having too much online exposure. He’s afraid that she will post something that will later come back to haunt her as she’s getting ready to apply for college in 9 years. I think that fact that she wants to actively use technology is awesome! I may try to set her up with a blog that I moderate, so I can control what she is able to post…

The world is continually growing more and more technologic. Let’s encourage our kids to use it, and use it in a positive way!!

We Can’t Predict the Future

Cancer… it’s everywhere!

10 years ago, I was at my first National Conference with Partylite. We had been raising money for the American Cancer Society. Not long before that, I realized that one of my Team mates was battling cancer. I think she was seriously the first person I knew (personally) who had it. Before they announced how much money we had raised so far, they started asking the crowd of 10,000 or so, to stand up if they had personally battled cancer. A handful of people stood up. Then, they asked anyone with a relative with cancer to stand up. A lot more stood up. On and on they went, until pretty much every person was standing! It was amazing to me how many people were affected by cancer in such a close and personal way! I felt lucky that I only knew of one person with the disease… Well, the past 6 years or so has sure changed that!

Janette Paulson
In 2004, I was hired as a School Readiness Teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. I was hired on as a long-term Sub for a woman who was battling cancer. Her prognosis was not good, but she was determined to fight it, and thought she might be back after Christmas Break, but they weren’t really sure when. Even thought Janette thought she was ready to come back, they kept me on. Janette came back to help in a class that needed a little extra support, though I really think they had us working together to mentor me a bit. She was one of the most amazing people I had ever met! She had a genuine love for life, and for other people! She was not going to let cancer get her down! She lived every minute to the fullest. Janette brought joy with her wherever she went, and to every person who came in contact with her!

We worked together the second half of that year, and almost all of the following year. I was so blessed to have that time with her! She brought me to a whole new level of a love for teaching. She showed me how joyful life could be! She always made us laugh! She wore a wig to school, only because she didn’t want the kids to freak out. Right before Spring Break, the second year, she told the kids she was getting her “summer haircut.” After that, she didn’t wear her wig any more. She said she felt free (since she rarely wore it anywhere else, anyway). She proudly wore her peach fuzz… until she came back with no hair, no one even knew she was sick (except for those of us who knew her well). She was not a person that went around telling everyone she had cancer or looking for a “pity party.” Janette was happy with the life she had lived, and said when it was her time, it was her time, but she fought that cancer until the end. She fought with prayer, she fought with medicine… unfortunately, right around the same time she stopped wearing her wig, the cancer was consuming a good part of her body. Her skin tone was starting to change, showing that her liver was failing. She was losing weight, and was tired all the time. A couple weeks before the school year ended, Janette went on Hospice Care… I have NEVER been someone who is good at visiting people in the hospital (unless it’s for a new baby). I went and saw Janette at her house in those last couple weeks. I’m SOOO glad I did. I sat with her for a couple hours, as she poured out some more of the teaching wisdom she wanted me to know. We talked about the kids in our class, about families, about our Faith… She made me laugh about as much as she made me cry. I got to say good-bye, and it was wonderful! Janette passed away the night before the last day of school. That last day was SO hard!! We were having an ice cream party to celebrate the end of preschool, and prepare for new beginnings… at the same time, inside, my other two co-teachers and I were crying for the loss of our friend and mentor…

Eric Stevens
At the same time that Janette was battling her cancer, a long-lost friend had called me out of the blue. He had been one of my closest friends from Summer Camp at Trout Lake. We talked on the phone all the time from about 8th grade until 10th grade (or so), when he moved to CA with his Dad. Even then, we would write letters, and talk on the phone as often as our parents would let us – those days, you still had to pay for long-distance calls. He’d call me about his girl problems, I’d call him when my life felt like it sucked… we’d occasionally call each other to celebrate accomplishments too! Eric was that guy, who at some point, we said, “If we’re not married to anyone else by age 30, we should just get married, since we are such good friends anyway.” We stayed in touch until 1999, when I got married. The last couple of years of our friendship were a bit strained, due to a trip I made to CA to visit him and to go to a kung fu tournament. Long story short, I spent most of the week at my hotel, and missed the tourny completely. To top it off, I could only spend a half day at Disneyland…

So, I hadn’t heard from Eric in about 5 years or so, and I get a call from my brother that he had contacted him, and wanted him to give me his number. I was shocked, and of course, called him right up! Turns out, his life had been beyond crazy since we had last talked. He was in the military, then out… had been married, then divorced… now, he was back in MN, living with his Mom and Sister – battling cancer. I was in total shock!! We were only 29, and he was battling cancer!!! He blamed himself. He said the last couple years, he had gotten into drugs pretty bad, and he felt that this was God’s way of punishing him. He was doing chemo, but was so sick, he wanted to quit. He didn’t want to do treatments any more, because he felt so awful afterwards.. Over the next several months (I don’t even know how long), we talked on the phone almost daily. I would get so angry with him for wanting to give up – he had his whole life ahead! I think my frustration was so high, not only because he was such an important part of my life for so long, but also because I worked with Janette who battled pretty much the same form of cancer, was hardly ever sick, and was so positive… After not talking for so many years, my opinion was still important to him, but he just wanted to be done. He asked me to come visit him before things got too bad… I was afraid to, because I didn’t know how I would respond. I didn’t want to spend the whole time crying, which is exactly what I probably would have done. I know he had seen/heard my cry a million times before, but never because of him. I didn’t want him to see me like that! My family demands, mixed with that fear, kept me from going to see him. He moved into a nursing home, so he could get the care he needed. A day or two later, his Mom called me to tell me he had gone into a Vegetative State. Just like that, he had given up… I felt like somehow it was my fault. If only I had gone to see him. I was going to go visit, but before I was able to make it, he passed away.

This was going to be my second funeral in about a month. Both died of cancer. Both had completely different experiences! While Janette’s Memorial was a celebration of her life, and all the people she touched… Eric’s was much more sad. He was so young, and everyone seemed to feel the need to point it out. His Dad started speaking, and lost it, his sister started speaking, and played Sarah McLaughlin’s “Arm’s of an Angel.” I went to his Memorial alone. When his Mom saw me, she was introducing me to members of his family as his best friend, Sarah. I got some very interesting looks as people said, “Oh, you’re THAT Sarah… the one that got away… you were the love of his life…” It was so bizarre! First of all, I had NO idea. I thought we were just really close friends – after all, I looked at him like a brother! I just wanted to be there to mourn my friend that I couldn’t even see in his last days, and they were loading this on top of it… it was too much for me to handle! I had to leave… I still get upset that he just gave up at such a young age, but I am not him. I didn’t feel what he felt. If his quality of life was so horrible, then why would he want to continue? I wonder what I would have done if I were in his shoes.

Fast Forward
Some time went by, and I reconnected with a friend from church. She had been the leader of a Spiritual Journaling group I had been a part of for several years. I also watched her children in the church nursery every week… Anyway, since the last time we had talked, she had been divorced, and had found out she has lung cancer. I was shocked, about both things! This woman was one of the healthiest people I knew! She was always trying to eat right, exercise… she never smoked, how could she get lung cancer??? Apparently, 2nd hand smoke?!? Well, following her on her journey has certainly been interesting. Suzy has a positive outlook on life. She is holding fast to her faith. She has been remarried, and is living every day to it’s fullest! She has not beaten the cancer yet, but continues to fight – trying different treatments, and going with the flow. She has the “it is what it is” attitude, and keeps living. She never looks for pity, but she is honest about what is going on… Being the writer she is, Suzy wrote a book about her Cancer Journey so far. It’s called, “One Foot in the Joy.” I bought it, but haven’t had a chance to read it yet. She’s an amazing person, and I bet her book is too!

My Mom had a scare with Cervical Cancer a few years back… after biopsies and other tests, they decided to do a hysterectomy, “just to be safe.” A co-worker of mine is also dealing with a similar situation.

A couple weeks ago, I was chatting with a friend of mine online. She used to be a neighbor who I spent a lot of time with, and I used to Nanny for her children. We haven’t seen each other as much since they moved to the other side of town, but we still chat and get together here and there… anyway, she told me that she had recently found a lump under her armpit. She went in immediately, and they discovered it was about the size of a golf ball! They biopsied it, and found it to be Stage 3 Breast Cancer! Talk about a shock!! Another early-30′s woman, otherwise healthy, suddenly dealing with this! Luckily, they surgically removed it, and feel as though they got it all! Prayers have been answered!!! While she has a long road ahead of her, this was great news!

Another ex-co-worker ALSO recently had “spots” discovered on her lungs. We are all still praying for her and her family. It is unknown if these spots are cancerous or not…

Why??? That’s the question I ask about all these wonderful people??? Why did God choose them to battle cancer (or have pre-cancer that leads to invasive treatments)??? Why does the number seem to be spreading by the day???

We can’t predict the future… we never know what lies ahead on our journey of life. I vow to try to live each day to the fullest… to enjoy every moment of every day, just in case!!

Who Knew???

I have been in my new classroom, the Squirrelly Monkeys, about 2 or 3 weeks now. I have anywhere from 12-16 2 1/2-3 year olds (though I can have up to 18 – I suspect that will happen soon enough). Yes, there is always another teacher with me, but I don’t officially have a “partner” yet (hoping that happens soon, too). I think this may be one of the most challenging age groups, but not in a bad way…

Most of my teaching career has been in the infant room (about 3 years at AGCLC), and with 4-5 year olds (1 year at Bethel, 1 year at AGCLC, 2 years in the School Readiness Program at Rum River, and 2 years at Monkey Business). I have also taught 3 year old classes in School Readiness, subbed in the toddler rooms at AGCLC, and spent all last summer with 2 year olds. I always thought the 4-5 year olds were my favorite age (when my son is a little older, I may go back to that opinion), but I have been having a lot of fun with this age group!

My classroom is (appropriately) in the “middle section” of our Center. They are kind of in-between the Toddler and Preschool phases. They are learning how to sit for Circle Time, follow directions, share with other children. They are learning how to control their awkward bodies, and they have energy to spare! Busy is an understatement for the group of kids I have! The great thing is, it makes the day fly by!!

I decided when I was offered this classroom, to try to run it pretty much like a preschool. I had no idea how well it would work, but the teacher before me did a pretty good job of it, so why not?? I am using a Visual Schedule, which is very helpful. At the beginning of every Circle Time, we go over the schedule for the morning. Right now, it really only goes through lunch time, because I need the time to get on Boardmaker and create a few items I’m missing. I notice children going up and looking at it throughout the day. We also do calendar, stories, sing songs, do art etc…

What I have found, is that giving very specific directions has been so helpful! When it’s time to clean up, I sing the clean up song, start putting toys away, and children are helping more. If they aren’t, I hand them a toy, and ask them to put it away. When I have been introducing a new item in our room, I give specific directions on how to use it (very Montessori-style, but helpful… not sure why I ever got away from doing it that way). For the most part, it has made a difference in how they play with materials. When they forget, we just remind them of the directions. If they still are not playing appropriately, that item gets put away for a while, and we “try again” later. It’s not a perfect system, but we are working on it! I think it will be helpful when I have a full-time partner – it will be easier to keep a consistent system in place.

One of the biggest challenges right now, is trying to teach the children to pick up what they are playing with before they move on to the next thing… I struggle with that with my own children, but am working on getting better in all areas on that one!

Overall, I am just amazed at what these children are capable of!! They are following directions so well, they are playing really nice… the daily challenges push me to find better ways of doing things, or better ways to help a particular child on whatever his/her needs are… this is a great fit for me right now!!!

Off to school

Last weekend, a couple of my friends drove their boys off to Madison for their first year of College. While feeling pride at their sons’ accomplishments to date, they were also sad to be sending their oldest child off on their own. I can’t imagine how hard that must be! One of the friends on this journey is at both ends of the spectrum – her oldest is heading off for his first year of college, and her “baby” is off the Kindergarten. WOW!

On Friday, Michael started Kindergarten. I thought I would be sad to see him off.. I actually kept myself together pretty well! I think having a half day of school with parents there before he went off on his own was helpful for both him and I! He seemed very nervous on that day we were there. He didn’t really know how to say it, but I could tell. I was nervous for him too. After seeing how well he fit right in, and how well he participated in those two hours, set my mind at ease for his first day. Getting to see his teacher in action, I know she is going to be great with him! She is very experienced, and knows how specific she needs to be in her instructions on what she expects out of the Kindergartners.

When I was working in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, there were a lot of parents with boys who had summer birthdays. Many of them debated on sending a brand-new 5 year old boy to Kindergarten vs. keeping them home another year to “let them mature a bit”. When I found out I was pregnant with a boy with a July due date, I dreaded getting to that point. Right after he tuned one, we moved to Chippewa Falls, WI – out here, pretty much everyone sends their child to school when they are 5, even if their birthday was the week before school started. Whew – I wasn’t going to have to have that debate…

The reality is, I never would have had that debate with myself with Michael – he’s a “smart cookie” as they say. I know he is ready for Kindergarten. He’s reading simple words/sentences. He can write his name. He can sit and focus (when he wants to)… He has a lot of skills that he needs to succeed in school. His biggest issue may be in how he gets along with others, although, being with a new group of children may help that too…

I am so thankful too, that he has a big sister who can show him the ropes at school. She is now in 4th grade, and has been at the same school since Kindergarten. She helped him on the bus, promised to help him find his way around school, and, I believe, eats lunch at the same time as him. They were both excited to find out that their classes are paired up as Book Buddies. It will be nice for him to have that contact with each other in spurts at school. Yet another reason for having my mind (and his) at ease about his first school year.

I was able to see him off to the bus, but did not get to hear about his first day. His Dad picked him up at daycare right when the bus came. On Monday, I’m sure I will get to hear all about it. Or, he might be a typical kid and say, “It was great” with no further details (like I got from Grace on her first day).