OUSD FLASHBACK! East Coast Girl Heads West: Little Kids Make Me Sick

So, here is the first update from being in the classroom.  I was blessed to get a classroom with an actual teacher who had actual experience with actual children.  You would be surprised at how rare that is (especially 5 years ago) for a Fellow to have.  In general, though, I was still super nervous to be in the classroom and was still getting used to what OTF was telling us in our silly afternoon sessions and what was REALLY going on in the classroom.   Naive, naive little me!

First I would like to let you know that WE HAVE INTERNET! Yep, the bird has landed and I'm now writing to you on a secure internet connection that assures my credit card number won't be stolen again.  We hope.  Because, yes, my credit card number was stolen and charged with purchases from heavymetal.com.  Thank you Chase MasterCard for realizing that Iron Maiden is not my favorite band. 

 

Now for school news... I have been placed in a classroom of 8 preschoolers with autism.  Seven of them are sick.  Seven of them cough, sneeze and wipe their little germs on me.  I am now sick also.  It's just a preschool size cold, but I am sick none the less! 

 

I was enjoying the classroom until Thursday when the children's bodies were possessed by demons.  There was screaming, jumping, running, screaming, biting, kicking... it was crazy.  The thing that gets me most is that they'll be bouncing off the walls in the classroom and then it will be playground time and they will rest up underneath the jungle gym.  "Oh no, I am much too tired to precariously climb to the top of the monkey bars right now.  I will rest in the shade of this climbing apparatus, saving my energy for when I need to bite my next friend."  Children are tricky. 

 

I led my first "lesson" on Thursday--painting with ice cubes.  Anthony decided to paint the white board and make faces at the people observing me, Lena decided to eat the ice cubes (while telling me what color she wanted, so I couldn't be that upset), and Isaiah wanted to use the medium of soap instead of ice.  Good times.  Nothing could top Friday's gagfest, that ended with little Ricardo vomiting during closing circle.  Nice.  And to think that I only have to survive 2.5 more weeks. 

 

My head hurts.

 

Well, I'm in the thick of apartment hunting and I hope to have a new place by the end of the week.  OH! And I have my first job interview tomorrow morning AND I get to go into school late!  Woohoo!  It's not a good sign that I'm trying to get out of school already... I'm off to grocery shop and, let's be honest, take a nap! 

 

Love to you all,

Torrey

 

PS Did anyone else notice that the kids have sucked the funny out of me?  I'm too sick to be funny.... oh, woe is me....

 Oh memory lane.  I thought I knew a lot when I first entered Bambi's class, but I had a lot to learn!  Thanks, Bambi, for being the best mentor a silly New Jersey girl could get!