Teaching 4 year olds

Ok, so it has now been 4 months since I was called to Primary to teach the 4 year olds.

I have my usual 5 or 6 who attend regularly and always ask where I have been and why I wasn't there if for some reason I cannot make it on a Sunday as apparently the relief teachers aren't as fun (or so my class tells me).

Today we had a lot of visitors and I had 10 in my class. Do you know what 10 four year olds in a small and I mean small class room that barely has room to fit that many chairs is like? From the way they were all acting it appeared to me as though they had all gulped a big helping of red cordial (full of sugar) before entering the classroom. They were feral! And why is it only in my class? Right through sharing time they were so quiet, meek and mild, yet as soon as the doors opened and they ran (with me yelling "don't run" pointlessly) all the way to our classroom where they then insisted on jumping on the chairs and asking for a toilet break every 5 mins for the next hour.

My regulars know the routine. I keep it simple. The class is broken down into 4 elements, first is the lesson (10 mins max) then is the games time (usually hang man or something similar that is themed towards the lesson) and then is drawing time. For drawing time before church every Sunday morning I spend 1/2 hour trawling the internet for outline pictures that vaguely match the lesson so they can be tied into the theme. I then use our printer to print out 8-10 copies of the picture for drawing time so they can colour it in. Then after drawing time is closing prayer and the end of primary class, whereby I open the doors and let them loose on the unsuspecting people loitering in the hallways of the chapel.

My regulars know this routine and they favour it. When I try to do anything out of order they let me know or they will ask towards the end of the lesson whether it has been 10 mins yet and how long it is until game time etc.

This week I was out of ink in our printer. I wondered for a moment where I would find ink on a Sunday as shops do not open on Sunday here and then figured drawing time for this week can actually be used for drawing instead of colouring. So I went to the bottom tray of the printer, pulled out 10 blank sheets of paper and took them to church with me. When we got to drawing time I handed out the pieces of paper and explained that today for something different we were going to draw instead of just colour in. As the lesson today was about praying to Heavenly Father I asked them to drawer a picture of themselves praying. Even though I explained this 3 of my regulars asked me where the picture was they were meant to colour in as the page was blank and one of them went really quiet and then burst into tears and when I finally cheered him up enough to tell me what was wrong he said he didn't know what he was meant to be doing because there was nothing on the page like there always was. Did I get these kids too comfortable with a routine? I mean I do not have children but I have always been told that with little kids routine is better as it becomes familiar to them and they can rely on it. Familiar is more comforting for little ones... but now I am worried they are too comfortable? What am I meant to do now? I don't want them bursting into tears everytime something different happens or the routine is not adhered to. I don't have children, I have no idea what I am doing, I am making this up as I go with the only aim being that the children learn the main principle of the lesson whatever that is ie - you can pray to heavenly father no matter what happens. I know I asked for the little ones because I was intimidated by some of the older ones and didn't want the questions and behaviour from some of them but sometimes I feel like I would really rather them as at least then they would understand me shaking up the routine and would be more interactive. Any ideas on what I should do?

Cindy

Play That Funky Music....

Yes, yes, I know. We haven't posted anything in ages. Not to worry, in the near future, we will post the before, durring, and after pics of the house renovation. For not, please enjoy the accoustic musical stylings of Newton Faulkner (sp?) as seen on tonights episode of GNW.

Calling

So yesterday morning 2 hours before church started the phone rings and it is the second councillor in our bishopric asking whether both of us could come in for a shared interview.

When Dustin hung up the phone he said it either has to be a joint calling or something important for him that they wanted my support/opinion on.

All the way in Dustin kept saying "I really hope it is not as a primary teacher, I would be happy with anything other than a primary teacher"...

So when we entered the interview room and the first question asked of us was "so, Brother and Sister Hulsey, do you have any children yet?" Dustin and I looked at each other (him with a look of dread and me with a look of serves you right for saying what you did in the car)

We obviously accepted the calling to be joint teachers in primary (we have not been told which class yet. 

We have been joking the past 24 hours... Dustin has been saying we got the calling for me to further develop my maternal instincts and experience before we start trying to have children ourselves at the end of the year and I believe it is because he was so strongly against it.

I think it will be fun... Dustin believes I am naive...

Painting the roses red...

Due to a long story of reliance on others to perform when they said they would... our roof is finally in the first stage of getting fixed from when I fell through it on New Years. The hot breezy drafts that have hit us whilst sitting on the couch for the past four months are now a thing of the past. Dustin asked one of his friends at work (Mike) to come around Thursday night and give us a hand patching it up. After an hour long trip to the local Bunnings (with apparently some not so helpful staff who did not know what gyprock/drywall/plasterboard was), Mike then proceeded to do the whole patch job himself with Dustin and I helping where we could. I learned a lot because the whole way through the patching process Mike was kind enough to take time to teach me how it was done and why things had to be done the way they were so the surface would be smooth and unnoticeable once painted etc. Later on Mike will come back over and sand it down and finish it off. Several days later Dustin and I still walk into our loungeroom and still expect to see a whole in the roof as we had gotten used to it being there. See pictures.

The study house

Dustin and I celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary on Thursday and for the first time ever in our relationship we are both studying at the same time (both still working also of course). I am completing my masters in law whilst Dustin is doing his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.

Whilst I am sitting here on my couch listening to my lecture via podcast, Dustin is in the study doing a group assignment via an internet meeting between the members of his group.

It occurred to me when I logged into my uni website just how far technology has come for me to have a lecture each week that I can download into an ipod and listen to it anywhere anytime and where Dustin can study via distance and for his study group to not only consist of people in other states of Australia but also overseas. - lining up times for his study meetings is going to be interesting with the different time zones.

I know I am not as old as some but I very clearly remember when whiteboards just came in and our school got two, we all wanted to have classes in those rooms because they didn't get chalk dust everywhere and it was easier to read... yet now how far have we come... I don't think I could study without my USB stick and my laptop not to mention my downloadable lectures, online study materials and wireless internet anywhere on our property all at the click of a button... I fear the traditional library research session has become obsolete which is sad really as I do so much love the smell of old books.

If this is how far we have come just in the past 15 years or so... how far are we going to go in the next 15 years and what will people be using for study aides then? I have always looked forward to that downloadable data that I may one day be able to plug straight into my brain... I wonder how far into the future that is?

I Travelled to a Mystical Time Zone....

I figure that it's about time that I made a musical post again.  So, last week I made two cds for my guitar instructor.  Just kind of so he got the idea of what type of things I was wanting to learn.  One cd was a sampler with some Metallica, AC/DC, Jerry Reed, ect., ect.  The other one was all Smiths.  For some reason, I don't know if it's all of Australia, or just Brisbane, but it would seem that there is a musical imigration department set up.  Only a certain amount of a certain type of music can get through it, the rest are never allowed in.  The Smiths are ones of these bands that, unless "smuggled in", no one ever heard of.  

Last night, when I went to my guitar lesson, Steve, (my instructor) was sitting in there listening to the Smiths cd, and started going off about how he can't believe that he'd never listened to them, and how awesome they were.  Sweet.  So we then proceeded to attempt to learn This Charming Man and Ask.  I felt better about not having been able to learn them on my own when even he was having a bit of trouble with it, (I emphasize the BIT) and he has dual degrees in guitar from the Conservatory.  It turned out to be a good session though; quite enjoyable!

When I got home, Cindy's and my friend Kelly was over.  She's come back home from Ireland for a few weeks to visit.  When I mentioned what we were doing at guitar, she made the same comment on how she can't believe that she had never heard of The Smiths before she went over there, considering how big they were/Morrissey is.  She said her favorite song was Frankly, Mr. Shankly, and as such, That's the video that I have decided to go with this time around.  Enjoy.

Read

Frankly, Mr. Shankly Lyrics

here.

Minimum Wage, Ha!

So, for those fo you who don't know, or haven't been able to work it out, I got a promotion of sorts at work.  Granted, this was first offered to me back at the end of June, but it has taken till now to eventuate, due to circumstances created by other people, or lack thereof.  

I am now, according to the signature that was set up on my email, a Technical Sales Representative.  This means that instead of being outside in the heat, humidity, grease, dirt, and oil, standing on concrete all day, and lifting heavy things, I now get to wear nicer clothes, sit down in A/C, have a desk and computer, and slightly more flexable work conditions, and the heaviest thing that I have to lift all day is probably a stapler. (no, it's not a red one...)  

I've kinda been thrown in the deep end, with a half-eaten life preserver, and told what to do to tread water.  What better way to learn!  But I am having fun, and most of the guys upstairs are willing to give me a hand when I get questions that I don't know, (which at this point, are most of them!) I answer the phones/faxes/emails that customers give us, wanting to either just buy some fittings or design a whole power system for them.  I know it might not sound like much, but I'm enjoying it, and that makes a lot of difference.

If you don't know and want to see what we do, go here: http://www.southcott.com.au/  Ignore the Cycles part.  Our branch doesn't really do them, although I CAN get them if requested.  That's about it.