Week 3 - A Trial in Patience

Yes, honestly, it was. The good Lord has been blessing the island with rain, so Monday-Thursday we did not have any recess outside. That made for long days both for the students and the teachers. The hard part was not the amount of rain but the fact that even if it was sunny outside, the playground was too muddy for us to have the kids outside. Friday was a blessing: dry enough to send the kids out after lunch.

I received a new student this week on Wednesday. He is closer to the age for grade 3, but with Julie's class at capacity with 30 students and this new student not having the best foundation, he has been placed with me, bringing me up to 29. Our deputy principal said she would cap me there, so I shouldn't have to worry about any other students joining us partway into the year.

I forgot to mention the bird and dragonfly in my classroom last week!! Right at the end of a Christ Light lesson, a  bird flew in the door and tried to fly out the (closed) windows on the opposite side of the room. Poor thing ended up flying into the wall the first few times. Settled up by the ceiling while my terrified students watched with rapt attention. (Maybe I should wear feathers and fly around a bit...) We left the classroom to practice in church for singing on Sunday. When we returned the bird was gone, but a dragonfly had taken its place. Nothing in the world could take the children's minds off the dragonfly (and of course, this is the morning that my broom goes missing). Thankfully, the dragonfly quickly found its way out of the classroom. I immediately shut the door and suffered in the stuffiness in order to keep the short attentions of my students.

A beautiful morning at Darkwood Beach

Sisters Aida(4) and Sienna(2) Johnston, daughters of principal
Andrew Johnston and wife Cindy - Such cute girls!!!

Miss Boggs playing 'auntie' to baby Grady

Building sandcastles

Yesterday, the Johnston family took us to Darkwood Beach. Was a beautiful day. The clouds and breeze kept things cool, and the water was a pleasant temperature. Pastor and I fought to get a shade tent up for baby Grady. We collected some shells, played in the waves, and built sandcastles. We returned so Aida could go to dance class at church and so we could get some laundry and schoolwork done before I went to pan practice at 3.

This morning in the 11am service Grades 1-2 sang for church. Most of the 59 children from the 2 grades showed, though some arrived after we had already sung. :)   Later in the same service, the adult choir sang (both Julie and I participate) and the Genesis Pan group played for the offering and postlude. I felt bad that I kept leaving my kids to sing/play... next time I hope the service won't be so busy or I will need to find someone to sit the whole service with my class to keep them in line. They did a wonderful job, though; lots of smiles brightened faces as they sang "For God So Loved the World."

Grades 1-2, directed by Gr. 1 teacher, Miss Abraham.
Everyone is in their dress uniform.

Julie and I in our choir gowns. Thank goodness we only wore them
while we were singing; after 5 minutes, you feel wetter than you do
after taking a shower! Much hotter than College Choir robes...