Another school year has come to a close. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being a teacher, and I did really like the students in my class this year, but they run you ragged (I posted a video I did with my students in December of 2010 below in case you missed it). The incredible number of decisions teachers make every second, the constant vigilance necessary to maintain order in a classroom of children, and the desire for every child to achieve enjoyment in learning...it's no walk in the park. I'm actually quite a strong proponent for year-round schooling (where there is not a multi-month summer vacation) as I think instruction would be more effective and students would achieve much more. But right now, sitting here with Safia snoozing away at the start of her 7th week of life, I am completely relishing the time I will have with her and Ellen this summer. I feel very fortunate, indeed.
Well, the past few days have been pretty good (knock on wood). I hesitate to say that we have turned a corner, but things do seem to be easing up a bit in the relentless crying realm. Safia's been sleeping more soundly and for longer periods of time, and has had longer stints of happy awake time (as opposed to screaming awake time). Also, she's been dishing out smiles and little giggles with greater frequency which melts our hearts every time. As always, her many and varied facial expressions continue to keep us entertained and she has begun to make "vocalizations." We've already had a good number of conversations regarding proper behavior, etiquette, and our expectations for her academic, musical, athletic, and social achievement. They were all very well received, I think. We're all on the same page.
In other news, Safia's grandmother (her 奶奶 [nai nai]) is here in town checking out our little love bug. She got in town on Thursday afternoon, caught the High Strung String Band show that night in Atlanta, and helped me clean and organize my classroom all before meeting Safia for the first time. When they met, though, it was pure love. I requested that my mom speak to Safia mostly in Chinese so as to allow Safia to hear the language as it was intended (not my American accented, poor grammar, limited vocabulary version of Chinese). My mom stays until this coming Wednesday so were trying to think up fun springy/summery things to do. Other than that, things are looking rather peachy here in the peach state. It's gonna be a hot weekend; a great way to introduce Safia to summers in the south.
Well, the past few days have been pretty good (knock on wood). I hesitate to say that we have turned a corner, but things do seem to be easing up a bit in the relentless crying realm. Safia's been sleeping more soundly and for longer periods of time, and has had longer stints of happy awake time (as opposed to screaming awake time). Also, she's been dishing out smiles and little giggles with greater frequency which melts our hearts every time. As always, her many and varied facial expressions continue to keep us entertained and she has begun to make "vocalizations." We've already had a good number of conversations regarding proper behavior, etiquette, and our expectations for her academic, musical, athletic, and social achievement. They were all very well received, I think. We're all on the same page. 
In other news, Safia's grandmother (her 奶奶 [nai nai]) is here in town checking out our little love bug. She got in town on Thursday afternoon, caught the High Strung String Band show that night in Atlanta, and helped me clean and organize my classroom all before meeting Safia for the first time. When they met, though, it was pure love. I requested that my mom speak to Safia mostly in Chinese so as to allow Safia to hear the language as it was intended (not my American accented, poor grammar, limited vocabulary version of Chinese). My mom stays until this coming Wednesday so were trying to think up fun springy/summery things to do. Other than that, things are looking rather peachy here in the peach state. It's gonna be a hot weekend; a great way to introduce Safia to summers in the south. 
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