Ahh, Memories!

I've posted about my two sons here in the past. Now, I'm taking a trip down memory lane thanks to The Pig's Tales and her new little one.

My older son is 6 now, but I remember the first full day we had him at home very clearly. My wife and I had marveled at him all afternoon/evening the day before, handled him as if he were made of china, and fell in love with him more with every passing squirmy, scrunched-up face, bundled-up-like-a-burrito-in-his-swaddling minute. The next morning we put him on the changing table to change and dress him for the day. No sooner had we removed his diaper and lifted his bottom to clean him up, he let fly with a arc of liquid poop.

It didn't take us long to figure out you NEVER leave a baby completely uncovered, unless you're planning on changing the carpet and painting the walls soon.

Good times!

Honestly, I wouldn't change a minute of the time I've spent with him, or with his brother. The poop, pee, spitup, barf, snot, and sweat all wash off with soap and water (well, most of it anyway; sometimes you get a stain), but parenthood is forever. It's amazing what you are willing to deal with, if it comes out of someone you love more than your own life.

Ms. Cornelius, over at A Shrewdness of Apes, writes today about the difficulty she's had in reading books like The Lovely Bones since she's become a mom, and it's something with which I totally identify. I love CSI and shows of its ilk, but when the victim is a child, I have to switch to something else.

Anyway, I didn't want this post to become so morbid; it's intended to be a celebration, for Pigs, Ms. Cornelius, and all the other parenting/teaching bloggers out there. Enjoy your kids, and remember them when you deal with other peoples' in your schools.

There may have been a song or two about this...

Dealt with a student today who apparently really, really enjoyed his own company while in the classroom, if you know what I mean.

Fun stuff!

Africa hot

Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot. Bonus points if you can name the movie/book).

OK, walking around on the blacktop, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and tie, when it's nearly 100 degrees.

Not.
Fun.

Just so you know.

Whew!

Three weeks on the job, three days with kids on campus, and I'm having a great time!

I've been busy, learning my new responsibilities, getting to know the staff and the kids, spending a lot of time on supervision duty, but I've enjoyed every minute. Even dealing with those parents (you know the ones!) has been a new and exciting challenge for me.

And I think that is the key... new and exciting challenges. I was, as those who have been visiting my blog for a while now may know, at the end of my productive time in the classroom. I wanted to leave before I became toxic to everyone around me, and this position has provided an opportunity to refresh and remember the reasons I got into education in the first place. And, boy, have I had some new experiences! One big one: helping Down Syndrome students, one of whom has a leg cast due to surgery and is in a wheelchair, use the bathroom.

Not that everything has been fun and games, of course. Parents in the community of my new school are inclined towards micromanagement; in fact, the first call I took on this job was a parent wanting to know her child's schedule before they were distributed so she could be sure the child was "in the right teachers' classes." This was an everyday, run-of-the-mill 8th grader. I could easily understand this level of interference if this was a special needs student, but in this case, not so much.

But overall my experience so far has been very positive. I'm having a great time learning my new role and getting to know the kids and staff, and feel good about what I'm doing.